Red Oni and Blue Oni!
by Spawnzilla014
Summary: A Collab Fan-fic with SeththeGreat! After suffering a tragic loss, Spawn leaves the Insurgency. But he is not the only one who has chosen to live the life of a lone wolf. Solid Snake, a man of few words and no nonsense, has also left the Insurgency. But when Snake realizes that Spawn's fate is uncertain, Snake takes it upon himself to try and help mentor him. But will it work?
1. A New Day, A New Mission!

***Hello everybody! It's your old pal, Spawnzilla! Have I got a special treat for you all today; a collab story! But not just any collab story, mind you. A collab story with a very special author and personal friend of mine. If you've read Wasteland, An Old Snake, or Snake the Handyman...then you'll know who to thank for this story.**

 **If you don't, then please let me introduce to you SeththeGreat, a completely underrated but extraordinary author and avid Metal Gear Solid fan. This story's plot actually takes place after the events of my Spawn Darkness Trilogy series.**

 **After certain tragic events have occurred, Spawn has made his seperate ways from the Insurgency. Unfortunately, he is not the only one who has left the Insurgency. Definitely no stranger to being a lone wolf, Solid Snake goes solo. But when Snake crosses paths with Spawn, a whole new adventure begins. New friends are made, as well as new enemies. There are also some certain questions that still need answering from my previous stories, so expect a few surprises along the way.**

 **Also, on a side note, I've been playing a LOT of Fallout 3. I've also watched the Road Warrior, as well as Batman vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War. So that all is added as inspiration for this new story.**

 **But don't expect this to be a kid friendly fan fiction, because like with my previous works there will be plentiful amounts of graphic violence, sex, and other adult content not suitable for the kiddies. Viewer discretion is advised!**

 **Now without further ado, let the story commence! Seth? I couldn't do this without you buddy; thanks for your help! ;)**

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Chapter 1: A New Day, A New Mission!

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It was over. The battle of the Insurgents against Superman's Regime and the demon Belphelgor was over. The Insurgents had won, but none of them felt like winners, especially Solid Snake. Snake had lost a lot during the conflict. He lost an eye, but more importantly the lives of many of his comrades were lost. The city was also in ruins, and chaos reigned supreme in the streets. Violent anarchists and psychotic raiders saw an opportunity to arise, and took it.

Everywhere you looked, raiders were pillaging and looting the city, taking whatever they could whenever they could. But the worst part for Snake was that he was abandoned and hated by the rest of the Insurgents. What was the reason, you may ask? He didn't share the same opinion the others had of the Hellspawn Raizo, also known as Spawn. And he let them know it.

He did not believe Spawn was a hero. While he fought the enemies of the Insurgents, he didn't fight for the reasons the Insurgents did. Snake emphasized that Spawn fought with the Insurgents, not for them. He told the others that Spawn would only fight when it was beneficial to him. He didn't give a damn about the Insurgents, and he wasn't afraid to admit that. He did it multiple times in fact. Spawn fought for two reasons. For revenge and for his wife Reika Kitami, who unfortunately died at the end of the conflict.

Reika on the other hand, did fight for the Insurgents. She was on the battlefield with them many times, and was also the one person capable of reasoning with Spawn. Reika actually tried to encourage him to join the Insurgents. And in the end, she sacrificed herself to destroy the demon Belphelgor. Snake considered her to somewhat be Spawn's morality chain, the one keeping him from embracing his inner demon.

But now that Reika was gone, Spawn's allegiance became uncertain, which worried Snake greatly. There was a good chance that Spawn could turn against humanity. And given how powerful he is, Snake didn't know if he would be able to stop him if that were to happen.

And it's because he expressed his opinion, his concerns, that the rest of the Insurgents turned their back on him. They thought he was a horrible man, a cold and heartless bastard. And maybe he was, but it's just how he was. Snake was never one to mince his words. He calls things how he sees it.

However, despite his harsh opinion of the Hellspawn, Snake didn't actually hate him as the others believe. Snake would admit that he did not like Spawn all that much, but he never hated him. It was obvious that Spawn was not a hero, but at no point was Snake trying to imply that he himself was a hero. Snake never thought of himself as a hero, but rather as someone who fights for what he believes in.

Snake also realized that that Spawn is not evil. Even though Spawn was brutally violent, and seemed to enjoy hurting his enemies, he never once attacked someone without a reason. Spawn never attacks civilians. And the people that he does fight always deserve it.

As Snake walked alone down a dirt road that led to an abandoned part of the ruined city, he sighed in frustration and disgust as he witnessed a horde of raiders celebrating in loud, raucous triumph after looting several towns. The men were howling with laughter as they got drunk as shit, while the women entertained their lovers by dancing naked and drunk. "Fucking animals…" Snake muttered bitterly as he lit up a cigarette.

Snake eventually reached his own secret safe house, a trailer inside of a junkyard. It wasn't the cleanest place on earth, but it was at least safer than many of the other places where raiders or anarchists usually roamed around. The only neighbors Snake had in this junkyard were a couple of bums, an orphaned child, and a junkyard dog named Kibbles. "Hey, look at who it is. Snake!" a bum with a missing leg exclaimed joyfully.

Snake smiled as he approached the old man. "Hello, Hank. How are you doing today?" Snake said kindly. "Oh, I'm always full of sunshine when I see your face around here. Say...have you found anything interesting lately? Little Timmy is getting bored again!" the old man replied. Snake chuckled as he reached into his pocket and handed him a toy truck. "Tell Timmy not to break it, ok?" Snake said. "Oh, bless you. Timmy! Come here; I got a new toy for you!" Hank exclaimed happily.

As Snake went inside of his trailer, he turned around to find a little 5-year-old boy squeal with delight as he began playing with his new toy. As Snake removed his battle armor and clothed himself in comfortable sleepwear, he began thinking more about Spawn. He remembered how much happier Spawn seemed with Reika Kitami when they were together. He also remembered the bitter tears Spawn shed when Reika died. And that's when it hit him.

Love is something that demons cannot feel, and tears are something that they cannot shed. Both of those are gifts only humans have. So while Raizo was a Hellspawn, Snake believed that he has not lost his humanity. Come to think of it, Snake realized that Raizo has shown more emotion than he has in some time.

Snake had a flashback of him and Otacon back at Shadow Moses Island. This particular incident was a very important one; it was the death of Sniper Wolf. " _I don't need a handkerchief._ " Snake said to Otacon. " _Why?_ " He asked. " _Because I don't have any tears left to shed._ " Snake replied bitterly. Snake sighed heavily as he shook his head. As Snake laid down on his mattress, he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. There was another incident Snake remembered, even though he really didn't want to remember it.

It was the last time Snake spoke to Meryl Silverburgh.

After fighting against the psychotic telepathetic killer, Psycho Mantis, a frustrated and weary Snake wished for nothing more than to move onward and complete his mission. But Meryl, being the young and naive lady she was, wanted to make small talk with Snake. Something that Snake was not very good at, let alone enjoyed doing.

Meryl approached Snake in comforting manner, to which Snake gave her the cold shoulder. " _Snake? What's your name? Your real name?_ " Meryl asked innocently. " _A name means nothing on the battlefield._ " He quickly avoided the question. " _Any family?_ " she pressed. " _No, but I was raised by several different people._ " He answered quickly.

While that statement wasn't a lie, it wasn't the full truth either. " _Is there anyone you like?_ " Meryl urged. " _I never bothered to be a part of anyone else's lives, it only complicates my own._ " Snake replied now losing his patience. " _So you really are alone…just like Mantis said._ " Meryl said compassionately.

Snake was silent about that statement. His patience for small talk was at its end, so he forced the subject to change. " _We don't have time for this! Let's get moving._ " He ordered and left the room.

Snake felt remorse as he remembered the look of hurt, shock, anger, and sadness written on Meryl's face. He shouldn't have said those things to Meryl, she was still just a rookie, just wanting to get know Snake a little better. But he didn't take that into consideration. He was so very bitter at that time because of all the horrible shit he'd been through. He was just too bitter to take her feelings into consideration. He pushed her too hard, and he couldn't forgive himself for it.

But what made things even more unbearable for Snake was that he never got to apologize to Meryl for his behavior. After Meryl was shot by Sniper Wolf, it was the last he ever saw of her. Or at least it was until...that moment. Yes, the moment when Snake finally encountered Liquid Snake, his evil twin brother. But that was only the beginning.

Revolver Ocelot then tortured the living hell out of Snake with a sadistic game of electro-shock therapy. Try as hard as he might, staying strong as he possibly could...Snake showed his ultimate failure as he gave into his pain. Sure, anyone could say that Snake was young and inexperienced at that time, but Snake knew that was bullshit. He had been to Outer Haven and Zanzibar Land at a much younger age, and endured much more horrific things no mere mortal should see.

The final nail in the coffin was after the brutal but epic fist fight against Liquid Snake on top of the ruined Metal Gear REX. As he approached a still body, Snake realized to his horror that Ocelot was a man of his words. Meryl just laid there, motionless and lifeless...and it was all because of his weakness and fear that overwhelmed him. " _NOOOO! MERYL!_ " Snake screamed loudly in agony.

Snake suddenly woke up in a frantic sweat. He breathed heavily as he looked around the room. He realized it was another nightmare, not that it made things any better. "Dammit!" He cursed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He felt he should be crying at this moment, but after Meryl's death, he was all out of tears. As Snake hung his head down in shame, he began thinking. Perhaps Spawn wasn't that different to him at all. Perhaps Snake and Spawn had a lot more in common than he thought. Maybe, just maybe...Snake could try and help Spawn reclaim his humanity.

Raizo was still pretty young when he died. Young and looking for his purpose in life. And even after coming back from the dead, he still seemed to be looking for his purpose. And with the way things were going, it didn't look like he can find it by himself. Spawn needed help. He needed a mentor. But could he be the one to take that role?

Snake slowly stood back up on his feet and stretched before he slowly walked towards a mirror. "Can I really convince him to change? He probably doesn't even want my help. We didn't ever get along. He'd probably want to kill me the moment he sees me!" Snake said to himself.

After a long minute of staring into the mirror, Snake made up his mind. "Fuck it! I can't just sit here and think about it. I have to try! I'll try to get him to listen even if it kills me! I can't let him lose his humanity like I lost mine!" Snake proclaimed. Snake then decided to go back to sleep and get some rest. He'd need it. Because tomorrow, he'd be looking for Spawn. And there would be no time to rest when doing that.

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* **Well, what do you think so far? Do you like it? Hate it? Comment about it in your reviews and let me know what you think I should do next!**

 **By the way, the flashback sequence of Snake losing Meryl is actually my own personal experience of playing Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation. Yeah, I know it's not the canonical story, but I personally think it's better because it's more dramatic and more emotional. And it really shows that even though Snake is strong and smart, that even he is capable of showing fear and failure. But with failure, Snake learns from his experiences...or at least that's I how I feel about it!**

 **Anyway, stay tuned to see what happens in the next chapter!***

 ***Hey everyone this is an author's note from me, Seth. I just want to thank Spawn for working with me. I had been in talks with him for a while now and I'm very excited to finally be doing it. I hope you enjoy it.***


	2. Sad Memories and Murderous Instinct!

**Chapter 2: Sad Memories and Murderous Instinct!**

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Meanwhile in a dark and lonely graveyard next to an old burned down and abandoned church, a lonely Spawn stood over a grave. The grave belonged to his wife and lover, Reika Kitami. As he stood by the tombstone that had her name carved on, he felt a heavy sense of depression and self-conflict. He remembered all of the good things that happened to him when he finally professed his love for Reika. But he also couldn't seem to forget any of the bad things either.

Spawn sighed heavily as he closed his eyes, once again letting the memories of his past consume him. " _My God! I did all of this?!_ " a shocked Spawn exclaimed after witnessing the carnage he caused after a violent slaughtering spree against several gangsters. " _Your sure did, Spawnie boy! You see, this is why Malebolgia chose you. You've lived your entire mortal life killing and spilling blood, that you simply couldn't stop even in the afterlife! You've got a nasty case of the killing fever!_ " the evil sadistic Hellspawn Frenzy sneered.

Spawn then remembered several conflicts he had against several other super heroes and super villains. " _I will not allow you to continue murdering people on my streets, Spawn! This madness ends now!_ " Batman proclaimed as he fought against Spawn. " _I don't take orders from anyone; especially self-righteous pricks like you!_ " Spawn snarled as he fought back. " _You are beaten, Hellspawn! Beg for mercy; scream my name!_ " Bane bellowed triumphantly during another brutal conflict. " _Scream my name, fool!_ " Spawn retorted before killing Bane in a gruesome manner.

In another conflict, Spawn remembered fighting against Superman. " _Who or what are you?!_ " Superman demanded. " _Your worst fucking nightmare!_ " Spawn growled. " _Perhaps I was wrong about you after all, Raizo. Maybe you did like having blood on your hands back in the day. Perhaps you and I do have a lot more in common!_ " the evil Skulker sneered as he ruthlessly brawled against Spawn. " _Fuck you! I am nothing like you, you backstabbing murderous asshole!_ " Spawn cried defiantly.

Spawn groaned as he remembered murdering the man who betrayed him from the start; a terrible and ruthless crimelord named Michael Hartman. " _I've come to take you to Hell, Hartman!_ " Spawn threatened. " _Killing me won't change any of the things you've done in the past, you fool!_ " Hartman proclaimed. " _No...but it sure as shit will feel good to kill you!_ " Spawn sneered before throwing Hartman out of a window. " _You can't kill me, boy! Even without my physical presence, I'll always be watching you! I'll see you in Hell!_ " a sadistic Hellspawn named Razor sneered before Spawn killed him.

Spawn finally seemed to calm down as he remembered some of the more positive things from his past. " _I know that you feel regret for all of the evil you've done in your past life, Hellspawn. That's what seperates you from the rest; you feel and express emotions of love, regret, and compassion. Demons cannot feel such things!_ " a wise Martian Manhunter said kindly. " _Out of love you are willing to fight and kill, Spawn. This is the one thing that most other demons can never understand, let alone feel._ " Raven said. " _And what the hell is that?!_ " Spawn snapped. " _It is love, Spawn. It is love!_ " Raven pointed out. " _You're a real angel, Raizo._ " Reika Kitami proclaimed before making love to him.

Spawn opened his eyes and sighed sadly as he knelt down and touched the tip of the tombstone. "I'm sorry, Reika. Truly, I am. If I could take back every bad thing I've done in my life, I would. But I can't! I wish I could have shown you the love and respect you deserved. I wish that I could start over with you again. I just want one more chance! Is that so much to ask? Please...I just want to be happy!" Spawn whispered with sorrow choking his voice.

Suddenly, a scream was heard in the distance. Spawn turned around sharply and growled with anger and menace. The last thing Spawn wanted was trouble around his turf, and he didn't care what kind of trouble it was. As Spawn slowly trudged his way through the graveyard, the sounds of evil laughter filled the air along with more screams.

Eventually, Spawn reached the source of the noise. Several punk raiders were harrassing a young woman and her teenage daughter. They were a traveling caravan, and it was obvious due to the large cow that carried their belongings. "Leave us alone, you filthy barbarians!" the woman shouted as she tried to break free of a raider's grip. "No! I don't think we will; not until we get what belongs to us!" the raider sneered. "Get your hands off of her! We worked hard for this stuff and we're not gonna let a bunch of scumbags like you take it away from us!" the teenage daughter cried fiercely.

The raiders merely laughed at her as they shoved her into her mother before they started snatching stuff away from their caravan. "Stop it!" the teenage daughter screeched. "Hey, lighten up! It's only junk!" one of the raiders sneered. "Well if it's junk, then why are you stealing it?" the mother challanged. "Because we fucking feel like it! Anything is worth stealing in this wasteland!" another raider retorted.

Spawn watched this all happen from a distance, hiding from behind some very large chunks of debris of ruined buildings. Spawn grimaced with anger as he watched the raiders steal their stuff. "Well, not bad. You got a couple of kitchen appliances, some scrap metal, and even a thing or two of gardening tools. These will come in handy!" one of the raiders announced as he observed a toaster. "Give it back! It's not yours for the taking, asshole! We worked forever to find that stuff!" the teenage daughter angrily shouted. "You want it so badly? Then come and take it!" a raider taunted as he played around with an iron.

The young girl screamed with anger as she charged towards the raider, effectively knocking him to the ground and dropping the iron. "Oh, yeah! Looks like we got ourselves a fighter, fellas!" a raider hollered. "So, you wanna play rough do ya?!" the attacked raider snarled before he savagely punched the girl with his brass knuckles. "Stop it! Get away from my daughter, you creeps!" the mother shrieked. The mother wildly fought against the raiders to try and save her daughter, when suddenly a loud and deafening gunshot was heard.

The raiders stopped what they were doing and turned to face their apparent leader. He was a very large and scary looking bald white man; he wore black leather armor and spiked gauntlets on his arms, legs, and shoulders. He also had a bloody scar on his right eye, all complete with black and white corpse paint on his face. In his hands he held a sawn off shotgun, and holstered to his side was a tomahawk. "What's going on here?" the leader growled in a low voice.

At first, nobody said a word. "You got crap in your ears or something? I asked you a question!" the leader snarled. Finally, one of the lower level raiders spoke up. "We was only defending ourselves, boss." he began. "Defending yourself? From a couple of innocent young women in a caravan?! Shame on you!" the leader scolded. Then the evil man smiled menacingly. "Perhaps I ought to settle the score here, then. What do you think about that?" the leader sneered.

The leader then grabbed the young daughter away from the mother, much to her screaming objections. "NOOO! Let her go, you bastard! She's just a child!" the mother screamed. "Don't worry yourself, dear. I'll take very good care of her. And who knows? She might prove to make a fine raider one day!" the leader chuckled evilly. "No! Let me go, you son of a-" the young girl began before the leader knocked her out cold with a blow to the head.

The mother attempted to rush forward and attack, but the leader took aim with his sawn off shotgun. "Ah, ah, ah! I don't think that's a good idea, sweetheart. Here's the bargain I've got for you; you may continue to keep selling your scrap for a living, but you work for me now. In return, I will allow you to live long enough to see your precious daughter grow into a healthy, strong raider. But if you so much as try anything stupid, I'm gonna carve her heart out of her chest...and I'll make you watch!" the leader snarled.

The poor woman's sobs were loud and agonizing, loud enough for Spawn to hear from the distance. This wasn't the first time this sack of shit had forcefully taken away somebody's child, but Spawn was going to make damn sure that it was the last time this ever occurred. Spawn slithered away into the darkness of the night, silently chasing after the raiders.

Hours later, Spawn finally arrived at the raider's camp. It was a large, but well organized camp. One side of the camp was crappy sheds that were used for sleeping and eating, the other side was full of cages and crates where they kept their guns and loot. "Hey, boss? Where do we keep the brat at?" one of the raiders asked as they all set their stuff down. "Lock her up in the cage along with all the others!" the leader demanded. "Sounds good to me! Come here, you!" one of the raiders snarled as he snatched the young girl up and carried her away.

Spawn darted behind a wrecked crane before he climbed up to the top, towering over the entire camp. This would provide him a perfect oppurtunity to examine his surroundings and count how many raiders there were inside this camp. Spawn had snuck into here before, but hadn't been able to get this close before. Spawn looked all around and counted up to 20 raiders, all of them armed and dangerous. Spawn also noticed that there were several people locked up inside of cages near the entrance of the camp.

Apparently, these people were to captured and were to be sold off as slaves. The young girls that this leader of the raiders had stolen would especially sell real well. The newly captured young girl began to wake up as she was thrown into a cage with other would be slaves. "Ah! Wha...what happened? Where am I?!" the young girl exclaimed. "You're home now, brat! Now sit down and shut up!" the raider snarled before he locked up the cage and left. "What?! Wait a minute!" the young girl cried out.

Spawn waited until all of the raiders had passed out from their excessive drinking and sex, and then he slowly slithered down from the crane before he began his rampage. Spawn crept through the silent darkness and approached a sleeping raider, quietly towering over him before he finally struck. He grabbed the raider by the throat and began carrying him away towards a pile of loot. The poor man couldn't even scream due to Spawn's steel grip, but that wasn't going to stop Spawn from interrogating him.

Spawn glared at the man as he got into his face. "Where do you keep your guns?" Spawn demanded with a low growl. "We keep them locked away inside of one of the sheds. They're inside the crates!" the raider gasped. Spawn growled as he tightened his grip more, breaking some of the poor man's bones. "That's not good enough! Where exactly do you keep your guns?!" Spawn snarled viciously. "Augh! You're...hurting...me, you asshole! Let go of me...before I-" the raider choked. "I'm going to show you real pain if you don't fucking tell me what I want to know!" Spawn threatened as he pinned the raider to the ground.

The raider began choking on his own blood, but the frightening glare of Spawn's eyes finally persuaded him to speak. "They're located inside of the shed with the sign that says _Lock N' Load!_ Please, don't kill me!" the raider whimpered. Spawn ignored his pleas and crushed his throat before he used his chains to snag onto his arms. Now for the next part of his attack plan; driving out the raiders with fear.

One of the female raiders woke up to the sound of a clattering sound from the armory. "What the hell?! Hey, wake up guys! I heard something!" the short haired raider chick cried. "Ah, it's probably a rat. Or one of the slaves acting up; just go back to sleep!" one of the male raiders grumbled. "No, seriously! I heard something coming from over the armory! One of you, go check it out!" the female raider insisted. "Arg, fine! I'll go...since you're so scared!" another male raider grumbled. "Hey! I ain't scared; I'm just worried, that's all! There's a big difference!" the female raider snapped.

As the sleepy raider trudged over towards the armory, he stepped in some warm liquid. "Eww! What is that? Did somebody take a piss here or what?!" the raider groaned as he shined his flashlight on the ground. He nearly dropped the flashlight as he saw that the liquid was a crimson red, and it was quite fresh. "Aw, fuck! HEY! We gotta bleeder over here, you guys!" the raider shouted.

The leader of the raiders growled with anger as he was awakened from his slumber. "I'm gonna fucking kill that rookie!" the leader snarled as he got up and put on some pants. As the raiders rushed towards the scene of the crime, some of the prisoners woke up and wondered what was going on. "Hey, wake up you guys! I think we've got trouble!" an older man whispered. "What is it?" a woman wondered. "I can't see anything!" a young man complained. "Hey, what's with all the ruckus?" the newly captured young girl wondered. "I don't know, but I think we're about to find out!" the older man replied.

The leader of the raiders arrived with all the other raiders, who were still half asleep at this point. "What the hell is going on here? You have any damn idea what time it is?! This had better be important!" the leader snarled. "It is! Look; I think somebody nabbed one of our guys!" the worried raider said as he shined the flashlight on the pool of warm blood. "So? Maybe some dumb fuck just stubbed his toe while trying to take a piss! Big deal!" the leader retorted. "Hey, what's that up there?" a female raider pointed out.

The leader snatched the flashlight from the other raider's hand before he shined the light at the spot pointed out from him. Several other raiders screamed as they saw it; one of their own men had been torn in half and had his arms nailed to a piece of steel, and he was hanging by chains. His eyes had also been torn out, and his teeth and tongue were also missing. "Son of a bitch! Spread out and find the intruder; I want to make him pay for what he's done to my boy! GO!" the leader shouted angrily.

As the raiders spread out, they were watched by menacing eyes from the shadows.

A few of the raiders walked into the armory and began searching around. But as he did so, he noticed something strange. Several crates were busted wide open. One of their assault rifles and tons of ammo was now missing. "Shit! This ain't good; several clips have been stolen!" one of the raiders exclaimed. "No shit, Sherlock! Come on, we gotta warn the boss before something else happens!" a female raider said. "Yeah, like what?" a third raider asked.

Suddenly, a chain snagged onto one of the raiders and yanked him away into the darkness. "Shit! Where are you, you bastard?! Show yourself!" the female raider screamed fiercely. In an instant, another chain grabbed her legs from behind and began violently yanking her up into the air. "AAAIIEEE! Lemme go, you mother-" the raider screeched before a hand grabbed her face and smashed it against the wall.

The raider was instantly killed, and the remaining raider who witnessed this became terrified. "Oh my God!" the raider whimpered. "No...not even close!" Spawn whispered ominously from behind. The raider screamed as Spawn grabbed him and began choking him with his chains. Spawn finally killed the raider by tearing off his left arm and snapping off his head. Blood sprayed everywhere, giving Spawn a perfect chance to carry out his next phase of attack; sending a message.

The leader met up with the other remaining raiders before they headed inside of the armory. As they got inside, they immediately grew nervous as they saw three hanging bodies from the ceiling and a bloody message written on the wall. " _GET OUT!_ " the message read in blood. "What the fuck?! Who's responsible for this?" a raider exclaimed in shock.

The leader drew out a .32 colt pistol before he carefully stepped forward. "Where are you? What do you want from us, you demon? Did the devil send ya?!" the leader demanded trying his best not to sound afraid. Suddenly, bright green eyes shined in front of him. "Why don't you ask him yourself, fool? Because you're about to meet him!" Spawn snarled before he aimed an M4 assault rifle at the leader's face.

The prisoners all cried out in fear as the deafening sound of gunfire and screams filled the air. "What's going on?!" a woman cried. "We're under attack! Take cover!" a man shouted as he hid under a bed. "Wait! What's that?!" the young girl cried as she pointed towards the armory. Suddenly, Spawn was seen throwing the leader of the raiders out of the armory.

The leader cried out in anguish and pain as he attempted to scramble away, but Spawn would not let him have that luxury. "Get away from me, you fucking psycho!" the leader shrieked as he tried to grab his tomahawk. But Spawn shot the leader's legs with his M4, making the man scream out in pain as he involuntarily dropped his melee weapon. As the leader screeched in howling agony, the frightened prisoners watched as Spawn paced around him. "What do you want from me?! Why are you tormenting me like this? Why?!" the leader screamed.

Spawn grabbed the tomahawk before he held it above the leader's face, ready to hack him to pieces. "Wait! Listen to me, man! Whatever they're paying you, I can double it for ya! I'll triple it; quadruple it! You hear me?! I'll give you whatever the fuck you want! Just don't hurt me no more, please!" the leader cried with tears of pain.

Spawn ignored his screams and proceeded to hack the man's head off with his own melee weapon. After decapitating the leader of the raiders, Spawn carried the head towards the front gate entrance before he nailed it to the door. This was the final warning that Spawn was giving all those who dared to tresspass on his turf. Spawn then pulled out a remote detonator and pressed a big red button.

The result was a violent display of explosions and bullets richochetting in all directions. Now that the armory was completely destroyed, any fool who was suicidal enough to challenge Spawn on his home turf was defenseless now. Spawn grunted in satisfaction as he began walking away, when suddenly a voice called out to him. "Hey! You! Yes, you! You've done it; you've finally done it!" an old man's voice cried out happily.

Spawn turned to face the man who said that, scowling menacingly. "You've saved us! Now, quickly...get us out of here. Now's our chance to escape to freedom!" the old man exclaimed. Several eager looking faces stared directly at Spawn, but Spawn's glare didn't change. "You heard him, man! Get us out of here!" a younger man snapped. "Why?" Spawn replied plainly.

This confused and angered several of the prisoners. "Why?! Because we've been stuck in this place for ages! Now get us outta here, man!" the young man retorted. "No. You got yourselves into this mess, so get your own asses out! I've got enough problems of my own!" Spawn snarled before he turned his back on the prisoners and began walking away.

This greatly upset the prisoners, especially the ones who had been stuck here the longest. "Please! Please help us; I beg of you! We've got sick and wounded that need treatment!" the old man pleaded. "No!" Spawn answered sternly not even looking back. "Please! Save us!" the new young girl begged.

Spawn ignored them and continued walking away, not even caring to hear their pleas or cries for mercy. "You bastard! You can't just leave us here like this; what if more raiders come back?! HEY!" the young man screamed. Spawn was long gone before another word could be said. The prisoners were all alone and still trapped inside of the now ruined raider camp. "Will no one help us?!" the old man wailed.


	3. A New Acquaintence!

**Chapter 3: A New Acquaintance!**

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Just as Spawn left the prisoners to their fate, Snake finished placing explosive charges outside the camp wall. He had quickly rushed over here as he heard the sounds of gunshots going off inside. "Sounds like some shit was going down. I hope I'm not too late." Snake said out loud.

Snake stood out of the blast radius and detonated the charges, blowing a hole through the wall and allowing him to breach the camp. He entered with his SOCOM pistol up, ready to attack any hostiles. But when he entered, he saw the mangled corpses of the raiders littered all over the floor. With a brief examination of the corpses, it was very clear to Snake who was responsible. "Spawn was here...well, at least he took care of the hardest part for me." Snake said half-jokingly to himself.

Suddenly he heard the cries and sobs of several people in the next room. "Will no one help us?!" an old man cried out. "There are still civilians here?!" Snake exclaimed. He quickly ran towards the source of the cry, and was shocked to find several prisoners locked up in cages. As Snake enter the room, the frightened prisoners panicked at his appearance. "Ah! Oh God; please don't hurt us!" a young woman exclaimed. "It's all right! I'm not going to hurt you! I'm here to get you all out!" Snake assured them.

This surprised the prisoners. "R-really?" An old man asked. "Oh thank you!" a woman said. Snake looked around for a key, thinking it would probably be on a corpse. Sure enough, he found the decapitated corpse of the raider's leader. He rummaged through his pockets and found a key ring. "Looks like your days of human trafficking are over pal." Snake muttered. One by one he unlocked the cages and then escorted the prisoners outside of the camp.

Once outside, he tended to the injuries of the wounded as best he could. Once that was done he called for an ambulance. "I called 911. The ambulance will be here soon to take care of you folks." Snake said to the old man. "God bless you, sir! I don't know how we could possibly repay you." The man expressed with sincere gratitude.

Snake chuckled. "You don't owe me anything. Just focus on getting better." Snake insisted. Then one thing popped into mind, something he wanted more information on. "Actually there is one thing you can do to help me." Snake said. "Oh, anything! Just ask!" The old man replied. "It's nothing big, I just need some information. Before I got here, all of the raiders were dead. What happened back there before I showed up?" Snake asked.

Though Snake had a strong idea as to who was responsible, he thought a little clarity never hurt. "Oh! It was some 'man' in black." He replied, using the word 'man' very loosely. "I'm not sure what exactly he is, but came and butchered all of those bastards that imprisoned us. But when we asked him to save us, he said no. He told us to get ourselves out, because apparently we got ourselves into this mess, and then he left us! He couldn't be farther from the truth! We didn't get ourselves into this! We were taken from our homes, and brought here against our own will!" The man said with spite in his voice.

This frustrated Snake greatly. " _Dammit Spawn!_ " Snake thought as he let out a heavy sigh. "Thanks for the info, you people stay safe." Snake said before he walked away from the prisoners. As he did that, he turned to see a young teenage girl reunite with her mother. "Mom! Oh, thank God you're all right!" she exclaimed as she embraced her tightly. "Oh, baby! Never mind me; look at me! Oh, praise Jesus...did they hurt you?" the mother wept. "I'm fine mom! Really, I am! But I guess it's safe to say that we should start learning how to protect ourselves, huh?" the teenage girl joked. The mother laughed in response before she walked towards the other prisoners with her daughter, hand in hand.

Snake sighed happily before he turned on his Solid Eye, a high-tech eyepatch that he put over his right eye. It used to go on his left eye, but after he lost his right eye during the fight against Superman's forces, he put it over that eye instead. A few of the people at the Insurgency modified it to act as a replacement eye on top of its other features. "All right Spawn, let's see where you're headed." Snake said as he switched the Solid Eye to thermal vision. After switching modes, he found the footprints of the Hellspawn. Snake followed the trail, hoping that it would lead him to Spawn.

Meanwhile; Spawn was back at the abandoned Church, mourning at his wife's grave. Suddenly he heard the doors open up. He growled with anger and grabbed his M4A1 assault rifle and pointed it towards the entrance. "Get the fuck out now if you want your head to stay where it is!" He threatened. "Relax kid! I'm just here to pay my respects." A familiar voice responded.

Spawn briefly lowered his gun, curious to see who it was. The man stepped forward and it was none other than Snake, holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand. "You?!" Spawn grumbled and raised his rifle, aiming right for Snake. "Okay, so you're still mad at me. I understand. We didn't really get along, so I understand if you want to kill me. But if you're going to kill me, can you wait until I go outside? I don't want to get blood on your wife's grave." Snake requested.

Spawn was quite shocked that Snake showed no sign of fear. And what he had just said, it wasn't a joke at all. He was being sincere about his intentions. Spawn begrudgingly lowered his weapon." Fine! Just make it quick." Spawn growled. "Thanks." Snake replied.

Snake walked over to Reika's grave and placed the flowers in front of the tombstone. Afterwards he gave a salute to her grave. "A salute? But she wasn't military." Spawn questioned. "Maybe not officially, but in my eyes she was a soldier. I fought alongside her in the battle against tyranny. She was a fighter, plain and simple." Snake pointed out.

The two remained silent for a moment before Snake spoke up. "I'm sorry about your loss. She was a good woman." Snake said kindly. Spawn started becoming suspicious of Snake's behavior. "Don't bullshit me, fool! There's another reason you're here!" Spawn growled. "That's right." Snake replied calmly." Well, what the hell do you want?" Spawn demanded to know. "I want to talk to you." Snake answered.

Spawn scoffed at this."Oh, that's just great! What the fuck does the Insurgency want from me this time?!" Spawn exclaimed bitterly. "I'm not a part of the Insurgency anymore." Snake informed him, surprising Spawn. "What?!" Spawn cried. "I've been disavowed, cast out. They don't want anything to do with me." Snake explained. "What did you do?" Spawn asked.

Snake then explained to Spawn everything that happened between him and the Insurgency. "I had a different opinion than the rest of the group. The others were saying that you were a hero. I said you were not." Snake explained, not sugar coating anything. He knew that what he was about to say could potentially piss the Hellspawn off and possibly get him killed.

He knew that he was basically picking on a dragon, but he didn't care. "I said that the only reason you fought with us was because Reika was on our side. Your motives for fighting were for her and for revenge against anyone who did you wrong. I believed that if it wasn't for her, you could have just as easily been against us." Snake continued.

Spawn didn't seem angered at all by what Snake was saying. In fact, Spawn couldn't help but hold a slight amount of respect towards the man for saying this to his face. "You're right about me. But the thing is, I never tried to convince them otherwise. I made it pretty clear what my motives were." Spawn said sternly. "I know, and I told them that, but they wouldn't listen to me." Snake replied.

Spawn nodded his head slowly. "Okay, so if you hate me so much and you're no longer part of the Insurgents, why do you want to talk?" he pressed.

Snake let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his forehead. "See that's where people are wrong about how I feel when I was talking about you. I don't hate you kid…" Snake sighed. Spawn looked confused at the old soldier. "Yeah, I said you weren't a hero, but I wasn't saying I'm a hero. I'm not saying I'm better than you. What I'm trying to say is that you need help." Snake said.

Spawn tensed up, looking a little agitated at that statement. "Help? Help for what?" Spawn snapped. "For yourself. More specifically help against your anger. You need to be able to control it before it claims your humanity." Snake explained.

This angered Spawn greatly. "You fool! I lost my humanity a long time ago! Look at me! I'm a fucking Hellspawn! You're just wasting your time. Get out, before I change my mind about killing you!" Spawn dismissed him and started walking away.

Snake knew this was going to happen, but he still had quite a few things to say to Spawn before he decided to leave. "Do demons cry, Spawn? Can demons feel emotions such as love?" Snake challenged. This caused Spawn to stop dead on his tracks. "Wh-What?!" Spawn exclaimed. "You loved this woman Spawn, I saw you shed tears when she died. Demons can't do that. Frenzy can't cry, and Razor sure as hell couldn't. But you can." Snake pointed out.

Spawn didn't know what to say after hearing that. "I…" Spawn began. "Tell me something Spawn, what motivates you to wage your war on crime? It sure as hell isn't saving people, seeing as you left a bunch of prisoners in their cages like wild animals earlier today." Snake said sternly.

Spawn clenched his fist at Snake's comment. "You watch yourself, old man!" Spawn growled. "From what I've gathered, you're fighting out of pure anger and hatred. Do you think that's what Reika would've wanted? I don't think it is. But I know who does want you to fight like this…Malebolgia." Snake lectured.

This really made Spawn angry; how dare this man accuse him of serving Malebolgia. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Spawn roared as he attempted to punch Snake in the face. Snake side-stepped and Spawn punched right through the wall. Spawn looked at him with fury, breathing heavily as he stared at him. Spawn continued to attack but Snake continued to dodge.

Not once did Snake attempt to strike back. "Why won't you fight back!" Spawn shouted as he stopped his assault. "Because I'm trying to help you, not fight you. And even if I need to be a punching bag to help you, I'll do it." Snake said confidently.

Spawn slowly raised his fist up, as if readying to strike. But then he collapsed to his knees and just looked sad. "All I wanted was to get away from all this and be with her in peace." Spawn said sadly as he hung his head. "Yeah…I know that feeling. Believe me, I really do." Snake muttered. "Look kid, there's something a friend of mine told me once. And that's the fact that people die, but death is not defeat. Don't let her death stop you from trying to live a better life. She wouldn't have wanted that. She would want you to keep going." Snake advised.

Spawn remained silent after Snake's advice, making Snake wonder if he conveyed the message correctly. "Listen I'm not good when it comes to talking about emotional stuff like this but do you get what I'm trying to say?" Snake said trying his best not to lose anymore patience.

Spawn looked up at him as he said that. "Why do you want to help me?" Spawn asked with genuine curiosity. He didn't understand why this man he had butted heads with in the past was now here trying to help him. "Well, the more practical reason is that I'm not sure where your true allegiance lies. As far as I'm concerned, evil could possibly consume you and you'll turn on humanity and start wiping people out in seconds. I want to try and convince you on why you shouldn't do that, and why humanity is something that you should help me protect."

Snake paused for a bit. "The other reason, the more personal one…is that I don't want to see you make the same mistakes I did." Snake explained rather cryptically. Spawn hung his head after Snake said that. "I'll let you think about. Hopefully I'll see you around." Snake said and exited the church, leaving Spawn to himself.

Hours later, Snake trudged on home and went to his trailer. But as he stepped inside, he noticed that there was something odd about his surroundings. The trailer was cleaned up thoroughly and it smelled funny...as in, feminine. Snake immediately drew out his Socom .45 pistol, preparing himself for the worst. "All right, come on out; don't make this anymore difficult than it needs to be!" Snake commanded sternly.

Suddenly, a familiar face stepped out of Snake's bathroom. "Well, that sure is a unique way of thanking somebody for giving your home a makeover." the blonde blue eyed beauty teased. Snake lowered his pistol, but didn't take his eyes off of the woman wearing nothing but a towel. "Samus! What are you doing here?" Snake demanded plainly. Samus smirked deviously as she sauntered over towards him, in hopes of seducing him.

It would have worked back when Snake and Samus' love life were more, spicy. But after barely surviving against Razor's rampage and struggling to stand up against Superman's Regime, Snake and Samus' love began to grow cold. The final straw that broke the camel's back was when Samus agreed with everyone that Snake should leave.

So needless to say, there was a reason why Samus was here. And it wasn't just so that they could be together again. "You look tired, babe. Come on; I prepared a nice hot bath for you. Afterwords, I can give you a nice relaxing massage...maybe I can even see about us having a happy ending. What do you say, hon? Does that sound nice?" Samus purred as she slowly dropped her towel to the floor and embraced him.

Snake could smell a sweet aroma of perfume on Samus, and her soft naked flesh touching his seemed to arouse his inner youthful desires. But he willed himself not to fall for whatever bullshit Samus was pulling and wrenched himself away. "Knock it off, Samus! If you have something you want to discuss with me, then I suggest you start talking! Besides; you're tresspassing!" Snake growled.

Samus frowned as she backed away and put on a baby blue tank top and some blue shorts. Samus was reaching for something else, when suddenly Snake reacted and aimed his gun at her. "Don't do it! I know what you're thinking, so don't even try it!" Snake snapped. "Try what; tie up my hair?" Samus teased as she grabbed out a red hair tie and put her hair in a ponytail. Samus then walked over to Snake's bed and sat on it, with Snake approaching her with the same cautious look on his face and gun in his hands. "What does the Insurgency want from me, Samus?" Snake demanded.

Samus sighed as she shook her head in annoyance. "You really take the fun out of everything sometimes, you know that? And for the record, I came here on my own behalf!" Samus said angrily. "Bullshit! They sent you here for a reason, and I want to know what it is. My guess is that Batman and the others changed their minds and want my help? Well, if that's the case then forget it! I've got enough to deal with on my own right now!" Snake said bitterly.

Samus glared at him before she sighed again. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was just angry about what I said-" Samus began. "Angry at me for what? Telling the truth?! You're all living in a fantasy world, Samus! Open your eyes and see for yourselves; it's a fucking hellhole out there. Innocent people are being kidnapped and sold off as slaves, raiders and anarchists are tearing whatever civilization is left; it's a whole world gone mad!" Snake exclaimed. "Which is why I need you now, David!" Samus shouted finally losing her patience.

Snake stared at Samus as he slowly holstered his pistol before sitting beside her on the bed. "Ok, so if the Insurgency didn't send you...why did you come here? Why do you need my help all of a sudden?" Snake demanded. Samus pulled out a small CD and handed it to Snake. "I think that this is something you should see!" Samus explained.

Snake went to his laptop and placed the CD inside before he uploaded some files. The files were all about Albert Wesker; they were his plans of reducing Empire Plaza into a barren wasteland, only to create a so called cure to create his own civilization again. "So? We kinda figured that out a while back, didn't we? What's changed?" Snake retorted. "Keep going; this is where things get weirder!" Samus said as she pointed to the screen.

As Snake kept browsing through the files, his eyes widened. Apparently, Wesker had been planning something far more sinister this whole time. As Snake read through private journal entries written by Wesker himself, he came to a horrible discovery. "My God...he's still alive, isn't he?" Snake gasped. "He's out there, Dave. And I want to find that fucker and put an end to his evil schemes for good. Please, David. I need your help; will you help me?" Samus begged as she placed her hands on his face.

Snake looked into her eyes and could tell she was being sincere, but deep down...he felt that something wasn't right about all of this. "How come you haven't shown this to the others? Why come to me first?" Snake asked as he gently moved Samus' hands away. At first, Samus didn't answer. Snake grew angry as he stood up from the bed. "Samus! Answer me; why did you show me this and not the others?" Snake demanded.

Samus slowly stood up from the bed, staring Snake in the eye. "David...please try to understand." Samus began. "God damn it; I knew it!" Snake growled as he reached for his gun. "Dave, listen to me!" Samus said more sternly. Suddenly, the sounds of gunfire rang in the air and Snake found himself darting out of his own trailer. "There he is; stop him!" an Insurgent Agent cried as he fired his machinegun at Snake. Snake fired his pistol at several the agents, wounding them.

Snake's intention was not to kill off his attackers, but slow them down. "GAH! Fuck it; he's getting away!" a wounded agent shouted as he held his wounded knee. "I'll handle this one, fellas!" a robotic voice announced. Suddenly, Iron-Man flew into the scene and started chasing after Snake. "Snake, buddy! Wait up; we just wanna talk to you for a second or two!" Iron-Man cried. "Then why are you chasing me?!" Snake snapped as he fired his pistol up at Iron-Man. "Why are you running?" Iron-Man shot back.

Eventually, Snake reached the exit of the junkyard, only to be stopped by Iron-Man. He flew right in front of Snake and stopped him as he held up his arm, ready to fire a rocket at him. "Now, Snake...we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's your choice!" Iron-Man warned. "Better do as he says, Dave...we're not messing around!" Samus cried out as she ran into the scene armed with her Plasma Pistol. "Why are you doing this?! Wasn't it enough that you disavowed me and now all of a sudden you want me back?" Snake shouted. "You know why we need you! I showed you what's going on, and things are only going to get worse if you don't help us!" Samus shouted back. "Yeah, I thought you of all people would be onboard with this! Come on, let's just calm down and pretend none of this ever happened!" Iron-Man added.

Snake refused to give in, knowing that something was being kept hidden from him for a reason. "I would help you...if you would only tell me the real reason why you want me so badly. If this is as important as you claim it is, then why doesn't Batman come and get me?" Snake challenged. Iron-Man lowered his arm and Samus relaxed a little. "He can't, Dave." Samus said sadly. "What?! Why not? Wait...is he-" Snake began. "Dead? No...but he's going to be if we don't help him. Wesker and his forces have captured Batman and several other Insurgents. Please...you've got to help us! I know that we've been assholes to you, but you've gotta help us save him! Please, David I can't keep begging like this forever...please!" Samus exclaimed with bitter tears.

Snake could tell that Samus wasn't lying; there was no way she could fake those tears she was shedding. As Snake got a better look at the Insurgent Agents backing up Samus and Iron-Man, he noticed that they were battle-worn. "What happened while I was away?" Snake said at last. "A lot of things, hon. A lot of things!" Samus said as she wiped her tears away.

Snake finally agreed to help; perhaps this was a new path that fate decided he should travel on, and he couldn't fight that. "All right. Well, we're going to need to get your wounded tended to, since I'm out of medical supplies. And you're probably gonna need some better guns." Snake said at last. "Ask...and you shall receive!" a deep voice said suddenly.

Suddenly, a bright green flash of light blinded everyone before a shadowy figure approached them. "Who's there?!" Iron-Man cried as he aimed a rocket at the sudden intruder. Samus and several other non-wounded Insurgent Agents aimed their weapons as well, but they seemed a bit surprised to see Spawn approaching them. Snake smiled as Spawn arrived; perhaps his words weren't fallen on deaf ears after all. "Spawn? I didn't think you'd actually listen to me!" Snake said half-jokingly. "Make no mistake, old man...I'm not here to become friends with you or anyone else! I'm only here to find out where Wesker is, so I can kill him!" Spawn growled.

Snake shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough. But what was it you were saying a minute ago?" Snake replied teasingly. "If it's guns you want, then I know the perfect place. Follow me!" Spawn said before slowly walking away. "You heard him, you guys. Let's go!" Snake announced. "Can we trust this guy, Miss Samus?" a young agent asked nervously. "For now!" Samus replied cautiously.

And thus, they were off to journey through the wastelands in search of guns.


	4. An Early Betrayal!

**Chapter 4: An Early Betrayal!**

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Spawn finally led the group over towards a large, empty building that laid in ruins. "This is it. This is where I get my guns from!" Spawn announced as he used his chains to pry open the large steel doors to the building's entrance. "It looks abandoned. What happened here?" Samus questioned. "My best guess is that this place was hit by the nuclear explosion from Razor's nuke attack. But they've kept a lot of guns, gear, and ammo down below. As far as I can tell, no one else knows about this place but me." Spawn explained as he lit his fist up with Necroplasm to light the way inside of the darkness. "That's interesting! But I wonder what kept these guns so safe?" Iron-Man said aloud.

Snake looked around with his new Eye Camera via thermal vision. "Uh, you sure you're the only one who's been here kid?" Snake asked Spawn. "Of course I'm sure! If there had been anyone else, I'd know about it!" Spawn snapped. "If you say so." Snake responded doubtfully. Eventually, Spawn and the others reached downstairs into a basement and approached a large door. "Here we are; just as I promised!" Spawn said. Snake looked up at Spawn with suspicion; something wasn't quite right about all of this. "Why are you doing this?" Snake demanded.

Spawn looked at him with an intense stare. "You wanted my help, you're getting it!" Spawn retorted shortly. "Enough arguing; let's just grab the guns and get the hell outta here! This place is creeping me out!" an Insurgent agent snapped. "Yeah, I got the feeling we ain't alone here!" another added nervously. "Relax...if Spawn says it's safe, then we should take his word for it!" Iron-Man suggested.

Spawn used his Necroplasm to melt through the lock of the door before he used his strength to tear off the door. As everyone else stepped inside, they were a bit surprised to find that there were in fact a huge amount of guns and ammo within the otherwise vastly empty room with impentrable walls. "Whoa! Look at this tech; that's a bit advanced for our time, wouldn't you agree?" an Insurgent agent exclaimed as he picked up a plasma rifle. "They look like prototypes; I wonder who made these?" Iron-Man added as he observed a couple of plasma grenades.

Snake grabbed an AK-47 and a bandolier of bullets and grenades, but didn't take his eyes off of Spawn. Spawn didn't even bother to grab any of the weapons, which immediately aroused Snake's suspicion. "You don't want any of these guns, Spawn? I'm sure that we're gonna need something to help get through all of this!" Snake said trying his best not to sound suspicious. Spawn didn't respond to him at first. His Necroplasm senses alerted him of nearby danger. "Ugh...something's gonna happen soon. I better get out of here while I have the chance!" Spawn muttered as he held his head. "What did you say?" Snake demanded as he overheard Spawn.

But as Samus put on her Power Armor, her sensors began picking up life readings. "Huh? Hey guys! I've found something on my scanners!" Samus cried. "What? Where?!" Snake exclaimed. "Let me see...oh my God!" Samus gasped as she looked closer at her scanners. "What is it?!" an Insurgent agent wondered. "They're right here in this exact room! Everyone stay where you are!" Samus announced in a hushed tone.

At first nobody moved a muscle and carefully observed their surroundings. Finally, something dropped in front of Spawn and caught his and everyone else's attention. "What the hell is this?!" Spawn exclaimed in disgust as he observed the slimy object. Snake looked up at the ceiling and gasped as he saw them; dozens of hideously mutated spiders. "Fuck!" Snake cursed before he fired his assault rifle at one of the spiders.

Soon enough, everyone began blasting their weapons at the spiders. The angry mutated arachnids swarmed the heroes, hissing and snarling as they snapped their nasty jaws at them. "Get away from me!" a young Insurgent agent shouted as he blasted a shotgun at a spider. "They're everywhere!" another Insurgent agent cried as he kept firing his assault rifle. "Spawn! You never said anything about there being giant spiders!" Snake snapped after he stuffed a grenade into a spider's mouth.

After the messy explosion, Snake suddenly realized Spawn was nowhere in sight. "DAMN IT! SPAWN!? WHERE ARE YOU?" Snake shouted. It turns out that during the chaos, Spawn ran towards the exit and used his Necroplasm to fuse the door back together and glued it shut, trapping the others inside of the spider infested room. "Sorry, but I have problems of my own. I can't risk you fools getting in my way!" Spawn cried before he ran off.

Back inside of the room, Snake helped Samus and the others fend off the swarming spiders. "Where's Spawn?" Samus asked as she blasted her Arm Cannon at a spider. "He's left us; again! Can you remind me how you all thought he was a big damn hero?" Snake snapped as he fired his AK-47 at several spiders. "Hey! The door's been shut! And it looks like it's been glued back in place!" an Insurgent agent exclaimed as he reached the door.

Snake wasn't surprised by this, but Samus and Iron-Man sure took quite an offense to this act of cowardice. "That fucking bastard!" Samus seethed. "So much for joining our team! Now what do we do?!" Iron-Man shouted. "What do you think? We've got guns and ammo! We shoot the damn things!" Snake said as he grabbed a machinegun and began blasting at more spiders.

But after the longest 20 minutes of their lives, the heroes were beginning to lose their edge against the never-ending swarm of spiders. No matter how many times they killed them, the damn spiders just kept coming back for more. And to make matters worse, they were becoming low on ammo. "Are you fucking kidding me?! How are we low on ammo?" an Insurgent agent screamed. "We're done for!" a younger Insurgent agent shouted. "Well I'm not about to become a spider's lunch anytime soon!" Iron-Man shouted as he fired his Uni-Beam at the incoming spiders.

Snake threw his last grenade at the spiders, but even that wasn't enough to stop them from coming. "Damn it kid! I had a feeling you'd pull some stupid shit like this." Snake growled. "That's it! I'm gonna use my Zero Cannon on these arachnid assholes! Everyone get back!" Samus announced as she began charging up her Arm Cannon.

But as Samus was about to reach critical mass, a loud roaring noise was heard along with some loud banging. "What the hell was that?!" Iron-Man cried. Suddenly, the doors to the weapon's cache was smashed wide open. A large green behemoth was seen rushing inside of the room, punching and kicking the endless swarm of spiders away. "HULK SQUASH SPIDERS!" the green brute shouted. At the same time, a mercenary in a red and black jumpsuit rushed inside with a pair of katana swords and sliced up several more spiders. "Have no fear, ladies and germs! Your lord and master, Deadpool is here!" the goofy mercenary announced as he skewered several spiders.

Finally, the last of the spiders were sent scampering away as a young lady in a dark purple robe used black magic to create a massive shadow of a crow. "Azarath, Mentreon, Synthos!" the young woman chanted. "Raven?! It can't be! Wasn't she-" Snake exclaimed. "Dead? Yeah, she's got this thing called reincarnation! It's quite handy, if you ask me! Just don't make her angry; she makes the Hulk look like a pussy when she's mad!" Deadpool joked. "HULK HEARD THAT!" Hulk shouted. "What?! You've seen Raven get mad, dude?" Deadpool complained.

The young woman approached the group and removed her hood; it was indeed Raven, only she was in a younger teenage form. "Hello, Snake." Raven said plainly. Snake nodded his head in response. "It's good to see that you're doing well, Raven." Snake said politely. "If we're done with the reunion, we need to get the hell out of here and find Spawn!" Samus snapped. "I'm afraid that's out of the question. We've got much bigger problems!" Raven said. "What?! What do you mean, bigger problems?" Iron-Man demanded.

Deadpool stepped up to tell them everything. "You see, it all started when we Hulk and I were looking for more of our old buddies, when all of a sudden these ugly motherfuckers just came out of nowhere and started tearing shit up! (As if this city wasn't torn up enough, already!) Anyway, guess who just happened to be there when those monsters were blowing shit up? That's right; the big bad, eh...what's his name again, Raven?" Deadpool explained before he got confused. "Albert Wesker! It seems that he's somehow gained control of these demons." Raven added. "Ok, so what do we do now?" Samus replied. "What do you think?! We get in there and we kick his ass!" Deadpool retorted.

Snake shook his head before he began walking away. "Hey! David, where are you going?!" Samus exclaimed. Snake turned around to face Samus with an angry glare on his face; he had finally had enough. "Don't call me that! You don't get to use my name! Only people I consider to be close friends can use my name!" Snake warned. Samus' jaw dropped as he said that, but Snake wasn't done speaking his mind just yet. "And to answer your question, I'm going after Spawn; he has to answer for what he's done to us!" Snake responded.

Samus sighed impatiently as she grew more frustrated with Snake. "We don't have time for this! We need your help to save the others!" Samus snapped. "No. That's your mission, not mine. I'm not a part of the Insurgency, remember? Right now, Spawn is my number one priority. I have to help him get some sense into his head before he does something even more outrageous and stupid." Snake objected.

This made Samus very angry. "Damn you, David Hayter! That's always like you; leaving me when I need you most! If Spawn tried to kill us, then why do you even bother to try and help him?!" Samus exclaimed. "Because I made a promise that I wouldn't leave him, that's why! You want to stay angry at me for not fulfilling your own selfish desires, fine by me! But this is much more important than you!" Snake said trying his best not to lose his temper.

This hurt Samus greatly, and shocked the others who overheard him. "Dave...how could you?!" Samus said with bitter tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't expect you or anyone else to understand, but my mind has already been made about this." Snake explained. "You know what? Fuck you! I don't care anymore; if you want to go out there and get yourself killed by that murderous bastard, then be my fucking guest! But you're on your own, and I'm not going to be there to help you. Please...just go!" Samus said bitterly.

Snake nodded his head and respect her request. "Alright. Good luck out there." He said to her and the others sincerely. Although he was quite angry with Samus and the other members of the Insurgency, he still did not wish any ill-will upon them. As Snake left, Samus wiped her tears away before she rejoined the group. "I'm sorry. What's our next plan?" Samus said trying her best to remain professional. "Hey...don't worry about him. We don't need them; we can do this without their help! If that's how they want to be, then let them! We can still do the right thing!" Iron-Man said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah...yeah, you're right. So what's next?" Samus sniffled. "Well, there's good news and bad news. Good news; we got new friends who might be able to help us!" Deadpool began. "Ok, so what's the bad news exactly?" Samus wondered. "That's actually kinda the bad news, too. They said they MIGHT be able to help us...but only if we can make it worth their while!" Deadpool continued.

Samus shook her head as she sighed. "Ok...so where are these guys?" Samus demanded. "They run a slave camp up north. I should know, because I just love to watch their cage fights!" Deadpool said with a chuckle. This earned several glares from the others, which quickly made Deadpool feel like a fool. "Oh! Heh, I mean...they got great deals on...food? Ok, whatever...just follow me! And let me do the talking!" Deadpool muttered as he began leaving the room.

Meanwhile, Snake kept climbing through several mounds of debris in the barren wasteland that was once Empire Plaza. As he continued his search for Spawn, he tried to understand how Spawn felt after losing everything. Come to think of it, he realized that Spawn felt betrayed after losing Reika Kitami...kind of like how his father, Big Boss, felt betrayed after he was forced to kill his mentor, The Boss, a woman he grew to see as a mother to him. And he was tricked by his government into thinking she was a traitor. "We really seem to have a lot more in common after all. "Oh, kid...what am I gonna do with you?" Snake muttered.

Finally, Snake found Spawn standing over at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the rebuilt sections of Empire Plaza. Snake took a deep breath before he approached Spawn; he was going to have to use his words wisely, even after the stunt Spawn pulled.


	5. Different Reasons to Fight!

**Chapter 5: Different Reasons to Fight!**

* * *

Snake slowly walked over towards Spawn, who stood still as a board while looking over the horizon. "So how's the view?" Snake asked jokingly to get the conversation started. Spawn turned his head to glance at him. He scowled and turned back to where he was looking. "So you're still alive…I can't say that I'm surprised." Spawn grumbled.

Snake chuckled at this. "Yeah. And nobody else got killed either, so thanks for asking." Snake joked further. He decided that was enough joking around and decided to get serious. "Why'd you do it? Bringing us there only to trap us? I had a feeling that you were going to pull something on us, but you completely shocked the others. They feel betrayed." Snake lectured.

Spawn clenched his fists. "Betrayed? Good! Because that's how I felt when Reika died in their fight!" Spawn fumed. Snake felt that Spawn's logic was flawed. Reika died by her own accord. What she did was a sacrifice. The Insurgency didn't force her to do anything. But he wasn't going to argue with him about logic.

Spawn was thinking and feeling over pure emotions, and sometimes emotions aren't logical. He was grieving, and sometimes part of the grieving process involves trying to find something or someone to blame. "I see. You're in a lot of pain, and you have a reason to be. You're bitter, angry, and feel like you need to direct that anger towards something. I understand how you feel." Snake said.

Spawn turned around and glared at Snake furiously. "No you don't! You can't possibly understand how this feels!" Spawn said in rage. "Look kid! You're not the only one who's going through hard times. I've had my fair share of hardships as well. It's okay to grieve, but you shouldn't be taking it out on others. That's not what she would've wanted." Snake explained.

Spawn punched Snake right across his jaw out of fury. "Don't you fucking mention her! You don't know what she would've wanted!" he roared. Snake rubbed his jaw as he recovered from the hit. "Okay, I see I've hit a berserk button. Well then…if you're going to take out your anger on someone, then it might as well be me." Snake muttered.

Spawn shouted in rage as he charged towards Snake. He began attacking Snake, but just like last time Snake refused to fight back, only blocking and evading the attacks. This time, Spawn didn't plan on just hurting him. He was so angry that he wanted to kill Snake at this moment. Spawn landed a kick to Snake's gut, hit his left eye with right hook and then knocked him down with an uppercut to the chin. Snake rolled out of the way of Spawn's Agony Axe, the Axe smashing the part of the ground where Snake just was.

Spawn became frustrated when Snake refused to fight back. "What the hell are you doing, you fool! Why don't you get out a weapon to defend yourself?!" Spawn asked in confusion, pausing his assault to allow Snake to get a weapon. Instead Snake grabbed his knife and gun and threw them to the ground. "No. I will not." He simply replied. Spawn was baffled, putting his axe away and went back to his fists. He grabbed Snake's shoulder with one arm and began punching him in the gut repeatedly with the other.

"WHY WON'T YOU FIGHT BACK!?" Spawn shouted a word with each successive punch. "Because I don't want to fight you! I want to help you! And if I have to take a beating to do that, then I will." Snake groaned with heaving breaths. "But I just tried to leave you and your friends to die! I'm trying to kill you right now!" Spawn argued. "I don't care." Snake replied wearily.

Spawn continued wailing on Snake, his face quite bloody and bruised now. Spawn looked down at the man that he beat down to his knees. "Look at what I'm doing to you! Don't you understand that what you're trying to do is futile?!" Spawn asked, still incredibly confused by Snake's resolve. "It might be…but I'm still going to try." Snake muttered.

Spawn grabbed Snake by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He had his axe in his other hand, readying it for a killing blow. "Why are you doing all of this?! You barely know me! We are not friends! You don't owe me anything! You have nothing to gain from helping me! So answer me! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TRYING TO HELP ME?!" Spawn shouted.

Snake grimaced as he spat out blood. "Because…it's the right thing to do." Snake answered. The answer wasn't what Spawn expected. He couldn't figure it out. He couldn't comprehend the idea of someone trying to help him without gaining something in return. "If you're going to kill me that's fine but just be sure to remember…that death is not defeat." Snake said gravely.

Spawn's hands trembled at Snake's words. He didn't swing the axe. He had so many thoughts rushing through his mind now. "I may not know all of what Reika wanted, but I can say for certain that what she wanted most is what was best for you." Snake continued.

Spawn released Snake from his grip. Snake fell to the ground and sat up to catch his breath. Spawn also dropped his axe to the ground and collapsed to his knees. He looked like he wanted to burst into tears, but Spawn used whatever willpower he had left not to shed a single tear. "Damn you, Reika Kitami! Why?! Why did you fucking leave me like this? Why?!" Spawn seethed.

Snake groaned as he struggled to stand back up. "Hey kid? You alright?" Snake asked as he wiped blood from his lip. Spawn didn't answer him, but instead continued to seeth with self anger and pity. "Look, if you're going to cry...then do it. I promise I won't say anything to the others; it's ok to cry." Snake said. "No. I can't do it!" Spawn growled. "Why not?" Snake asked. "Because...when Reika died, she took all the humanity I had left in me with her! I haven't got any tears left to shed!" Spawn snapped.

At first, Snake didn't know how to respond to that. Those words he said clicked back in Snake's mind, reminding him of certain events of his own past. " _I don't need a hankerchief._ " Snake grumbled to a distressed Otacon. " _Why?_ " Otacon wondered. " _Because I have no tears to shed!_ " Snake boldly proclaimed. Snake took a deep breath and sighed before he spoke up again. "It's alright Spawn. What just happened is water under the bridge." Snake assured.

Spawn looked at him with utter confusion. "How the hell are you so forgiving? After all I just put you through-" Spawn began. "Because I know that you can still make up for your mistakes." Snake replied. "No, I can't! Not like this!" Spawn objected. "Yes, you can! Look, I used to look at you as a raging monster that only cared about himself. But then I looked a little deeper and realized that's not the case. Now when I look at you, I just see a young man who is troubled and confused, still trying to find his purpose in life." Snake wisely replied.

Spawn hung his head low in shame as he said that. Deep down, Spawn knew that he was right. Spawn truly wanted to regain his humanity back with Reika Kitami, but ever since her death he felt nothing but pain and regret for all the evil he did. "Even if I could...nobody would help a pathetic wretch like me!" Spawn said with sorrow.

Snake walked over to kneeling Spawn and extended his hand to help him up to his feet. "I do. I want to help you find that purpose, and to help you get your humanity back. But you won't be able to do either if you're so damn angry all the time." Snake said.

Spawn looked up to Snake's hand and grabbed it, rising to his feet. He stood in front of Snake with his head still hanging low. "But the things that I've done-" Spawn began. "It doesn't matter. We've all done things that we regret…that we wish we could take back." Snake cut him off and explained, briefly thinking about Meryl in his last sentence. " _What's your name? Your real name?_ " Meryl asked. " _Names aren't important in the battlefield._ " Snake grumbled. " _Is there anyone you like?_ " Meryl pressed. " _No. I don't need to get other people's lives involved with my own; it only complicates things!_ " Snake retorted. "S _o you're all alone, just like Mantis said you were._ " Meryl stated. " _Look, enough is enough! We haven't got anymore time to waste; let's move out!_ " Snake snapped finally losing his patience.

He shook his thoughts of her out of his head and continued. "What happened, happened. It's in the past and can't be erased. But that's alright. It doesn't make us irredeemable. What's important is that we learn from our mistakes and use those lessons to create a better future." Snake wisely said.

Spawn scoffed at him, surprising Snake. "That sounds difficult." Spawn commented. Snake couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, believe me. It's incredibly difficult. And that's why I want to help you, so you don't have to do this alone." Snake replied. "You're risking so much by trying to help me. You might be better off by not bothering." Spawn said pitifully. "Not gonna happen. I've made up my mind. Sorry kid, but the only way you're gonna get me off your back is to kill me. So what's it going to be?" Snake said decisively.

Spawn sighed heavily as he reached a decision. "All right old man. I'll hear you out." Spawn conceded. Snake smiled a little because of his answer. Snake and Spawn looked up to see the night come down, with the moon now taking the sky. "It's getting really late. You know a place where we can rest?" Snake asked. "What the hell? Are you homeless or something?" Spawn asked in surprise. "No. I'd invite you to my place but I've got neighbors. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't take the idea of having the Hellspawn that's been showing up on the news, being right next door to them very well." Snake replied.

Spawn nodded his head. "Come with me; I know a place where we can both lay low." Spawn said calmly. "Sounds good to me. Wait...you're not going to try and trap me again, are you?" Snake joked. Spawn appeared to smirk at his comment. "Only if you piss me off again!" Spawn retorted. "Well by all means, lead the way!" Snake replied.

Later inside of the abandoned church at the cemetery, Snake and Spawn sat across from each other with a small latern in between them providing a source of light. Snake attended to the wounds he got from his scuffle with Spawn. Spawn was actually quite amazed that the man was still standing after the beating he had received. "You're one tough son of a bitch, you know that?" Spawn said. "What makes you say that?" Snake asked as he disinfected a cut. "I've fought a fair amount of humans. They usually go down pretty fast, ten seconds at best. But you…you went up against me for several minutes before you finally went down. And you weren't even fighting back."

Snake smirked at this. "Well I'm honored." Snake chuckled. "So what's your secret? What powers do you possess?" Spawn asked. "What are you talking about?" Snake wondered as he wrapped a bandage around his arm. "The members of the Insurgents all have some powers or equipment that allows them to do things no ordinary man can do." Spawn explained. "I don't think I follow you." Snake said even though he clearly knew what he meant. "Samus and Iron-Man have those power suits of theirs. That idiot Deadpool has an impressive healing factor to the point where he's practically immortal. And there's the mutants who have all sorts of different powers. So what is your ability?" Spawn pressed.

Snake smiled as he finished patching himself up. "I don't have one." Snake said simply. This shocked Spawn greatly. "Are you serious?!" he exclaimed. "Yeah. But that's fine. I don't think you need super powers to get a job done. As long as you are willing to do something, then you can do it." Snake replied with a shrug. "I see. Well speaking of the Insurgency, shouldn't you be with them on their mission?" Spawn continued. "I'm not a part of the Insurgency anymore. Their mission is not my mission. The only reason you found me with them is they showed up to my house with armed guards." Snake explained.

Spawn nodded his head. "Okay. But it just so happens that their mission is also something on my "to-do" list." he said. "You're talking about Wesker?" Snake asked. "That's right!" Spawn growled, even hating the sound of the man's name being spoken. "All right. If you want to go up against Wesker, then I'm with you. The Insurgency will do what they do. Maybe we'll help each other every now and then, but we're not affiliated with them. Their orders don't apply to us. We can get this done with or without them." Snake suggested.

Spawn nodded his head silently in agreement. "But just tell me one thing. Why do you want to kill Wesker?" Snake wondered. "You ask stupid questions!" Spawn snapped. "It was a pretty self explanitory question, kid. Come on; just be honest with me. Why do you want Wesker dead?" Snake replied calmly. "Why do you think?! The fool fucked with me, and because of him Kitami is dead!" Spawn snarled as he clenched his fists. "Revenge, huh?" Snake muttered and shook his head in disapproval. "Spawn have you ever heard of Friedrich Nietzsche?" he began.

Spawn cocked his head in confusion."Who is that?" Spawn wondered. "He was a German author from the 19th century. His writings have some memorable quotes, but I think the most powerful comes from his book Beyond Good and Evil. _He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you._ " Snake explained.

Spawn seemed quite confused by the quote, but Snake could also sense that deep down, Spawn felt impacted by those powerful words. "What the hell does that even mean? It's nothing more than gibberish and nonsense if you ask me!" Spawn lied. Snake chuckled at him. "You're a terrible liar, you know that? Look, I agree that Wesker is a monster and that he needs to be taken down. But we cannot fight him with the motive of revenge powered by extreme anger." Snake began. "Why the fuck not?! He deserves to die!" Spawn snapped.

Snake sighed impatiently as he shook his head. "You want to kill Wesker, but if you're driven by your hatred, then what exactly are you willing to do to be able to kill him? Better yet, what is it that you wouldn't do? If it's pure revenge that you want, then I'd imagine there isn't much you wouldn't do to achieve your goal." Snake continued. "What are you getting at, old man?" Spawn demanded. "Wesker was someone who would do anything to get what he wanted. So I have to ask you…are you willing to become a monster to kill this monster?" Snake said. "But I already am a monster, you fool!" Spawn argued.

Snake tried his best not to show signs of frustration, but Spawn was being such a stubborn pain in the ass. "Ok, fine. You're a monster! So why not try fighting for the benefit of others, and not just your own." Snake advised. Spawn wanted to argue with him, but even he knew that what he said was true. "What Wesker did to you…would you want him to do it to some else, and have them go through the same situation as you? Would you want him to do those horrible things to Reika if she were still alive?" Snake questioned.

This angered Spawn greatly, but not towards Snake this time. "NO! Anyone who puts her in harms way, I kill!" Spawn growled as he stood up from his seat. "Then there you go! Fight Wesker with the knowledge that once we kill him, he won't make anyone else suffer like you did. That's the reason I fight." Snake said wisely. Snake looked over towards a window and saw that it was getting very late. "I know I can't make you change your ways overnight, but just give it some thought. Good night kid." Snake said and then went to find a spot to sleep.

As Snake went to sleep, Spawn found himself very deep in thought. All the words that Snake said to him confused him, but at the same time made him think about all the other times he fought in his life. "What do I do? What would Reika want me to do?" Spawn asked himself out loud.


	6. Enter the Arena of Death!

**Chapter 6: Enter the Arena of Death!**

* * *

While Spawn and Snake rested at the old abandoned church, Deadpool eventually led his group towards a slave camp that was infamous for it's brutal gladiator-like fight arena. "Okey-dokey, here we are babes and gents. Just let me do all the talking, all right?" Deadpool announced as he proudly marched towards the entrance. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Samus wondered. "This is Deadpool we're talking about, remember? There's always a bad feeling!" Iron-Man pointed out.

Deadpool approached a guard, who was smoking a cigarrette by the front door. "Hey, Chuck! Remember me?" Deadpool announced. "Huh? Who the fuck are you and what do you want?" the guard snapped as he threw his cigarrette aside. "Aw, come on Chuck. You're insulting me! After all I've done for you? Remember all those little problems you asked me to take care of? I could have said no, but out of the kindness of my heart-" Deadpool went on. "Oh, wait a second! I remember you now...you're that lucky asshole who managed to round up those runaway slaves for me." the guard recalled with a devious smirk on his face.

This puzzled the Insurgents, to which Deadpool let out a nervous chuckle. "Heh...um, sure. Listen; you remember that little deal we had awhile back? Well, I kinda need that favor now." Deadpool said. "Ha! Sorry, pal...but I don't do favors." the guard snorted. "What?! Oh, come on dude...you sure you don't want to help a buddy out?" Deadpool teased as he approached the guard closer. "Unless you got the cash, then no. So why don't you and your little friends fuck off before I call for reinforcements?" the guard threatened.

Deadpool threw his arms in the air as if giving up. "Ok, ok. You win...but before I go, I gotta tell you a little secret. Come here!" Deadpool said as he grabbed the guard. "Hey, what the fuck are you doing?!" the guard snapped. "Shh, it's ok buddy...your journey has finally reached it's end!" Deadpool whispered before he whipped his pistol out and blew the guard's brains out of his skull.

Samus yelped as the red smear ended up all over the walls, as well as her face. "What the fuck, Deadpool?! Was that really neccesary? You got blood on my fucking face!" Samus snapped angrily. "Baby, let me give you a little advice. Out here in the big bad world, you gotta be willing to get some blood on your hands...and I don't mean a couple of aliens or treacherous fucktards; I mean ANYONE'S blood! Oh, what size are you?" Deadpool said as he began searching through the guard's dead body.

Samus turned pink with embarassment and anger. "Excuse me? What does that have to do with anything?!" Samus seethed. "You wanna save our friends or not?" Deadpool shot back. Samus and the others looked at each other before they shook their heads and sighed. "Ok, Wade. What's your plan?" Iron-Man demanded. "My plan is this; I take Samus into the fighting arena and we kick ass, while you have the easy job of stealing this guy's truck. During the kickass time, you should take the unlucky prisoners away someplace safe. After that, be back around...eh, 10 or 15 minutes as our means of escape! Any questions?" Deadpool instructed as he took out some keys from the dead man's body.

The Insurgents were a bit surprised by Deadpool's plan, and showed it. "I hate to say it, but that's actually a good plan!" Iron-Man exclaimed. "WAIT! WHAT ABOUT HULK?" the Hulk cried. "Oh, right! I guess you can play with me and Sammy here. Mind if I call you Sammy?" Deadpool replied as he began removing the dead guard's clothes. "No!" she snarled with gritted teeth. "Ok, then. Sammy...put these on!" Deadpool said as he handed Samus a tank top and jeans. Samus looked like she wanted to blast Deadpool's head off with her Plasma Pistol. "No!" she said angrily.

Deadpool practically threw the clothes at Samus. "Come on, Sammy. We're not gonna be able to save our pals if we don't play by my rules!" Deadpool encouraged. Samus sighed heavily as she shook her head in defeat. "Fine...but you owe me big time for this! Now turn away while I change!" Samus demanded as she began removing her own clothing. "Ugh, fine...spoilsport!" Deadpool complained.

Deadpool pouted but complied as he turned around, not looking at Samus as she changed her clothes. In a brief minute, Samus was now disguised as a runaway slave. "Ok, just one last thing to do before kickass time. Um, I'm sorry about this!" Deadpool said as he took out his pistol. "Wait, what-" Samus began before Deadpool knocked her out with a pistol whip. "Dude...she's seriously going to kill you for that!" Iron-Man said with a raised eyebrow. "Nah, she'll get over it! Now what are you guys standing around for?! Go get that truck up and running! Hulk? You're with me!" Deadpool announced.

Deadpool then scooped Samus into his arms before plopping her over his shoulder, and the Hulk followed him inside of the slave camp. As they did so, Iron-Man went with the others to find the truck. "I'm hoping that Wade doesn't fuck this one up!" an Insurgent agent muttered. "I think we can all agree to that!" Raven said as she used her powers to open up a locked garage door.

There it was; the large bus-like truck with 16 wheels and built like a tank. "So...anyone know how to drive one of these things?" Iron-Man announced. "I do; I used to operate a tank that looked just like this. In fact; now that I think about it, it's the same thing...only they removed the guns and added more impenetrable armor." a young Insurgent agent explained as he took the keys. "Huh...amazing what people can come up with these days!" Iron-Man said. "Wait a minute! Deadpool didn't tell us what the signal was to get our attention!" another Insurgent agent exclaimed. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll think of something!" Raven pointed out.

Back inside of the slave camp, Deadpool approached the fighting arena with Hulk. It was the size a football field, and surrounded by a huge chain link cage surging with an electric current. "Hey! No one else is allowed beyond this point!" a guard shouted as he aimed his assault rifle at Deadpool. "Is that anyway to treat a friend? I just nabbed this runaway slave for ya and had the decency to throw her in there to join the fun! Is this how you treat all your guests?" Deadpool snapped as he slapped Samus' behind. "Oh! Well, then...we haven't had any fresh meat in a while! Hey down there; we got fresh meat! Put her down there with the others!" the guard hollered at a bunch of sleeping guards.

As the guards walked up a set of stairs, they looked nervously at the Hulk, who growled as he clenched his fists. "What is that?" a guard nervously muttered. "He's my bodyguard; I need muscle, not wimps!" Deadpool said with a thumbs up. Hulk grinned wickedly, further intimidating the others. As the guards grabbed Samus and began carrying her away, the leading guard handed Deadpool a wad of cash. "Keep this up, and there's plenty more where that came from. Hey, why don't you stick around for the fight? This should be an interesting one! Think any of the fresh meat can withstand our undefeated champion?" the guard said. "Well...when you put it that way-" Deadpool said as he secretly motioned the Hulk to stay behind.

As Deadpool was led down the stairs with the other guards, the Hulk remained behind. With the way the giant cage was built, it would be easy for the Hulk to tear it apart...that is, if Deadpool could somehow disable to electric defense system. "HULK BETTER SMASH SOMETHING SOON!" Hulk grumbled. He then sat down on a large rock and waited; something the Hulk wasn't very fond of.

A few hours later, Samus woke up in a dark dungeon-like cell. "Agh! What the hell? Where am I?!" Samus exclaimed. "You're in hell, bitch. That's where you're at!" a voice sneered. Samus stood back up and turned around to find several raiders and anarchists, and by the looks of it they weren't the gentle or loving type of men. "A fine looking bitch like you shouldn't be down here!" one of the raiders smirked.

Samus glared at the raiders and ignored their perverted, sneering remarks. "There's only one way out of this hellhole; you fight or die, bitch. So which is it gonna be?" an anarchist snarled. "Yeah! What's it gonna be?" several other anarchists chided in. Samus suddenly began laughing, pissing them off. "Aw, that's adorable. I wasn't aware that dogs could talk!" Samus sneered. "The fuck you say to me, bitch?!" the apparent leader of the anarchists snapped. "You practice talking tough and puff your chest out in front of the mirror in your underwear? You fucking scumbags don't scare me; I've dealt with a lot worse than this. So killing you will be a breeze!" Samus challenged.

But before they could react, the loud sound of a large steel door opening caught everyone's attention. "I hope you brought you mom with you, hon. Because I'm gonna enjoy beating your ass!" Samus taunted. "Fuck you! You're dead, bitch! You hear me?! DEAD!" the leading anarchist shouted. Samus smirked as she sat on a bench, while several heavily armed guards came into the room via an elevator. "You showed them; those pervs have been asking for it!" a feminine voice said. Samus turned around to find X-23 sitting in a cell block along with Felicia, Zero, and Rorschach.

Samus smiled at them, though Rorschach seemed very suspicious. "How did you escape? And if so, why'd you come back?" Rorschach demanded. "Trust me! Everything will be ok; we'll all be tasting freedom soon enough!" Samus reassured. "Hey! Get up, you maggots! It's time for the fight of your life!" a guard snarled as he opened up their cells. As the guard roughly handled them, Samus willed herself not to resist. "You enjoying yourself, asshole?" Samus growled as the guard groped her ass. "Watch it, whore! Don't think I won't fuck you up before I throw your ass into the arena!" the guard snarled.

Eventually, Samus and the others were led into the arena. The arena was nothing but dirt and rock, littered with the remains of the unfortunate souls who didn't make it out alive. A huge crowd of cheering raiders, anarchists, slave drivers, and all other sorts of scum stood in the stands above them. At the central podium, the ring leader of this place was wearing black body armor decorated with skulls and bones. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I BRING YOU HERE TODAY, FOR THE GREATEST SOURCE OF ENTERTAINMENT! WELCOME AND ENTER INTO THE ARENA OF DEATH!" the ring leader announced loudly.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, though our heroes remained focused and slightly nervous. "WE HAVE HERE RUNAWAY SLAVES, DEADBEATS, AND OTHERWISE WORTHLESS NOBODIES! ALL GATHERED HERE FOR ONE PURPOSE AND ONE PURPOSE ONLY; FREEDOM! BUT, IN ORDER TO GAIN THAT FREEDOM, THEY WILL HAVE TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH! ONLY ONE WILL SURVIVE THIS BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY AND FREEDOM! BUT ARE THEY WILLING TO KILL IN ORDER FOR THAT FREEDOM?! WE SHALL SOON FIND OUT! SO WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY, LET THE BATTLE BEGIN! AND MAY THIS BATTLE BE SOAKED WITH BLOOD!" the ring leader announced.

 ***Mastodon: Crusher Destroyer plays!***

As the ring leader finished speaking, deadly spikes emerged from the ground along with other horrible death traps. The other combatants were soon released and began charging towards our heroes for the fight of their lives. "Don't hold back! It's either you or them!" Rorschach shouted as he tackled one of the anarchists to the ground. "Finally; some action! Come and get me, you filthy scumbags!" X-23 screamed as she unleashed her claws.

Samus engaged in a bloody brawl against some of the raiders who harrassed her earlier. "I'm gonna enjoy this!" the leading raider sneered as he began throwing punches at Samus with some brass knuckles. Samus dodged his attacks before sliding underneath of him and kicking him in the back, shattering his spine. "GAAAHHH! The pain; it burns!" the raider screamed as he fell to his knees. "Aw, is that all?" Samus smirked before she ran up and rammed her elbow into his face. The raider screamed as he felt his nose break and blood inked out, before Samus grabbed hold of his shoulders and threw him into the ground.

Several of the other raiders attempted to swarm Samus, but she overwhelmed them by savagely kicking and punching them with her super speedy and flexible moves. "Like I said; I've dealt with worse than you!" Samus cried as she grabbed one of the raider's arms and snapped it before tripping him onto his back and stomped her foot into his face. The raider screamed in howling agony from Samus' brutality, but they weren't about to go easy on her just because she was a lady.

One of the raiders was able to salvage a knife before stabbing Samus in the back. Samus screamed in agony as she was hurt, but another one of the thugs grabbed her by the hair before kneeing her in the face and forcing her away. "Come on, bitch! I'm just getting started!" the raider taunted. Samus growled at him before she spat out blood and wiped her face. "So am I!" Samus retorted.

Rorschach unleashed his brutality on several other anarchists. He grabbed a bottle and smashed it repeatedly in the face of one of the anarchists before stomping his foot into his leg, breaking his bones with a loud and sickening snap. "GAAAUUUGGHH! You bastard; you broke my fucking leg!" the anarchist screeched. Rorschach answered by grabbing his arm and flipping him over onto his back before kicking him in the face. Another anarchist grabbed Rorschach from behind and restrained him, while another rushed forward to smash him with a lead pipe.

But Rorschach freed himself by ramming his elbow into his grappler's gut before grabbing his shoulders and rammed him into the armed anarchist. Another anarchist then charged towards Rorschach and swung his fists wildly, but Rorschach dodged his attacks before he finally kicked him in the groin and forced him on his knees. Rorschach then grabbed the anarchist and began pounding his fist furiously against the anarchist's face, before finally sent him flying away with a vicious uppercut.

Zero used his laser katana sword to duel with a few armed thugs, parrying with them before violently counter attacking them with a slash to the side or chopping off a leg or arm. "Yah! You think you're better than me? I may not be human, but I'm technologically superior to you scumbags! Come on!" Zero taunted as he stabbed his laser katana into a raider's chest.

Felicia yowled angrily as she curled up into a ball and bashed an anarchist to the ground before pouncing on him and slashed her claws at his face. "You shouldn't have made me mad! You mess with the kitty, you get the claws!" Felicia proclaimed as she kept slashing at him. "You tell them, Felicia! Nobody fucks with us and lives; nobody!" X-23 shouted as she climbed up on a raider and rammed her claws into the back of his skull.

X-23 lept off the raider before slashing off the legs of another with her claws, spraying blood everywhere. "YAAHHH! You want fast and furious? Well here she is!" X-23 screamed as she tackled an anarchist to the ground and proceeded to tear him apart in a bloody mess. The crowd went nuts with the bloody violence on display; surely, they hadn't seen such a spectacle in a long time.

This pleased the ring leader greatly, as none had been able to get this far in a long time. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH PROMISE FROM A GROUP SUCH AS THIS! BUT CAN THEY WITHSTAND THE AWESOME MIGHT OF MY UNDEFEATED CHAMPION? CAN THEY SURVIVE AGAINST THE WRATH OF THE DEADLY AND TERRIFYING GHOST RIDER?!" the ring leader announced. "Wait, what?!" Samus exclaimed as she overheard him.

Suddenly, a steel door opened and a demonic flaming Hellspawn rode into the arena riding a flaming motorcycle. It was in fact the notorious avenger of Hell himself, the Ghost Rider. " _Prepare to eat flames...in Hell!_ " Ghost Rider cackled. "Oh, God! We're in trouble now...Deadpool, whatever it is you're doing, you better do it quickly!" Samus muttered. "Don't worry about him! Just keep your distance and you'll be fine!" Rorschach assured.

A maniacal raider screamed as he charged towards Samus and Rorschach, but Ghost Rider caught him with his flaming chains before he swung him around. " _Feel the burn!_ " Ghost Rider sneered as he surged hellfire into the raider through his chains. The poor soul screamed in wailing agony before he was finally smashed into the ground, reduced into nothing but a smoldering pile of ash. "How do we run from that?!" Samus panicked. "He already knows we're on his side, but make it look like we're his enemies!" Rorschach suggested. "How?!" Samus demanded.

Rorschach grabbed a stone and threw it at Ghost Rider, who turned to glare at them furiously. " _You...run...now!_ " Ghost Rider snarled as he began revving up his motorcycle. "Like that!" Rorschach said before he took off running. "Deadpool, if I survive this, you are so fucking dead!" Samus muttered angrily. Ghost Rider cackled demonically as he chased after Samus and Rorschach, while the other Insurgents continued fighting against the endless waves of anarchists and raiders.

 ***Song ends!***

But while the violence went on down below, Deadpool snuck his way over towards a power generator. It was the source of the cage's electric defense mechanism, and once deactivated give the Hulk the perfect chance to tear open the cage. "Ok, just gotta turn this thingy off and then we're home free!" Deadpool muttered. "HEY! What the hell do you think you're doing back here? You're not allowed here; this area's off limits!" an armed guard shouted. "Whoops! My bad; I was just looking for the bathroom. Say...you got something on your face!" Deadpool said. "What? What are you talking about?" the guard snapped. "Yeah...it's right there!" Deadpool said before he drew out his katana blades and chopped his head off.

Deadpool dragged the dead and headless body away before he dumped it into a trashcan. "Hope nobody wants to take out the trash!" Deadpool joked to himself before he approached the power generator. Deadpool took out some C4 and began placing it on the generator. "Wait...how much of this C4 should I use? Should I use one? Two? Three...oh wait, maybe five? Ah, what the hell? I'll just use all of it!" Deadpool said out loud.

After about placing 20 explosives on the generator, Deadpool waltzed away before whipping out his remote detonator. "Ok, here we go...wait! Is that what I think it is? It is! TACOS!" Deadpool said as he caught sight of a taco stand. He rushed up towards the taco stand and began grabbing as many tacos as he could carry. "Oh, how I love thee...you delicious, delectable, sweet manna from heaven! What is it about you I love so much? Is it the crisp crunchy shell? Is it perhaps the lettuce and tomato that is stuffed inside you? Is it the sour cream offering a cool sensation to the taste buds? Or is it the rich, spicy goodness of that mystery meat?" Deadpool said as he oggled at his prized and favorite food.

But before Deadpool could munch away, his good concience stopped him. " _Wade! Have you already forgotten about your friends? They need you!_ " his concience screamed. "What? Aw...but I haven't had tacos in forever! What if I never get the chance to eat these delicious slices of heaven ever again?" Deadpool complained. " _Yeah! Let the poor guy have something he wants for a change; he's worked hard for this!_ " his bad concience proclaimed. "Finally; somebody makes sense!" Deadpool said. " _But your friends will die if you don't act now!_ " his good concience reminded. "Oh, right...I can't let that happen." Deadpool muttered. " _Ah, never mind them! They'll live; they've fought against bad guys before, I'm sure a few more minutes isn't going to kill them!_ " his bad concience argued. "Well, when you put it that way-" Deadpool said with a snicker. " _Wait! What if they poisoned these tacos? If they're poisoned, then you'll not only be unable to save your friends...but you can never have tacos ever again?_ " the good concience suggested.

Deadpool really didn't like the sound of that. "What?! Ok, now why in the hell would anyone want to poison these babies? All right, that's it! We're gonna save my friends, but more importantly...we're gonna find out who's been poisoning these tacos!" Deadpool said as he tossed the tacos away. Deadpool then took out his remote detonator again and pressed the red button, resulting in a glorious explosion that shook the entire stadium.

Iron-Man and his group heard and felt the explosion, which gave them the idea that they should move. "I'm assuming that's our signal! Ok, fire this baby up and head towards the entrance!" Iron-Man said. "Roger that!" the young Insurgent agent replied as he fired up the engines of the truck. Back at the stadium, everyone was taken by surprise from the explosion. The crowd watching the fight began screaming and chaos erupted as they clamored about trying to escape. "What the hell is going on?!" X-23 cried. "I think that's our sign! Ok, everyone on me!" Samus announced.

As she spoke, the Hulk approached the chain-link cage and roared as he began tearing it apart. "HULK WILL TEAR THIS PLACE APART!" the Hulk shouted as he ripped a huge hole in the cage. "No! The fools are going to escape; stop them!" the ring leader shouted as he saw what was happening. Several of the armed guards began running towards the arena, firing their assault rifles in the air. "You ain't going nowhere!" a guard shouted as he fired at Samus. "Try and stop us, then!" Samus shouted as she lept into the air.

She pounced on the guard and beat him with her fists before finally prying the assault rifle out of his hands and aimed it at his face. "Who's the bitch, now?" Samus sneered. The guard nearly soiled himself before Samus shot him in the head, killing him. "Come on; this way!" Samus announced as she began running up the stairs. As Samus led the others to freedom, the Hulk jumped down into the arena and began wrecking the place. "HULK SMASH!" the Hulk shouted. "Shoot that asshole!" a guard screamed as he fired his assault rifle at the Hulk. Hulk growled with fury as he charged towards the guards and pounded them with his fists. "PUNY HUMANS NO MATCH FOR HULK!" the Hulk proclaimed.

Eventually, Samus led the others to the top and managed to approach the entrance where Iron-Man and the others waited. "Took you guys long enough! Where's Wade?" Iron-Man announced. "I don't know and I don't care; where are my clothes?!" Samus snapped as she stepped inside to change. "Yeah, nice to see you too! Wasn't Hulk with you too?" Iron-Man snorted. "I think he's down there, having fun tearing up the place!" Samus said as she found her own clothes and quickly changed into them. "Yeah, I could tell!" Iron-Man smirked as he heard the Hulk's roar echoing in the air.

As the others were helped inside, Deadpool and the Hulk approached the truck. "Well, good job Wade. I didn't actually think this plan of yours would work!" Iron-Man said. "Don't thank me; thank my genius!" Deadpool joked. "Your what?!" Felicia exclaimed. "DEADPOOL! You son of a bitch!" Samus raged as she came charging towards him in her Zero Suit. "Whoa, ok! Time out! At least we got our pals, right?" Deadpool chuckled nervously. "You ever pull a stunt like that on me again, I swear to God!" Samus threatened. "Enough! We don't have time for this; we must get going before reinforcements arrive!" Raven scolded. "Yeah, about that...you see, Ghost Rider kinda sorta needs my help with something. So, as much as I'd love to hang out with you guys, I gotta stay here! Hulk can come with you if he wants, though!" Deadpool said.

Hulk began walking away, much to the surprise of the others. "Wait, Banner! Where are you going?!" Iron-Man exclaimed. "HULK HAVE OTHER THINGS TO DO! HULK WILL CATCH UP TO YOU LATER!" the Hulk said before he leapt away. "Well, ok then...I guess we're on our own now." Iron-Man shrugged. "Ok, then! Later babes and dudes!" Deadpool said before he marched away. As Deadpool left, Samus shook her head. "You know something? I really hate that guy!" Samus muttered. "Don't worry, we all do!" Iron-Man said. "Wait, where are going now?" Rorschach demanded. "There's a safe haven a day or two away from here; we stop and rest there before we continue our search for Batman." Iron-Man explained.

This did not work well for Rorschach. "We can't do that! Batman needs our help now; every minute we waste is another minute of his life slipping away!" Rorschach objected. "I don't know if you've noticed by now, but we're pretty spread thin with supplies and able bodies. We take a rest and then we'll save Batman, and hopefully the others if and when we find them!" Iron-Man argued. "No. We can't stop now; if our enemies aren't resting, then neither should we. Wesker is on the move and if we stop now, we may never catch up to him!" Rorschach insisted. "I agree with him; we can't risk losing another ally, especially Batman. I say we keep going until we find him!" Samus suggested. "Yeah, Batman has been good to us. It's the least we owe him after all we've been through!" Zero added.

Iron-Man shook his head, but reluctantly agreed. "Ok, fine...but I don't want to hear any complaining from anyone else. Now if there aren't anymore objections, we'll keep going." Iron-Man announced after a minute of silence. "The last I heard, Batman was in the North part of the Wastes. If we can get there by sundown, we might have a better chance of saving him." Rorschach said. "All right then, let's roll!" Iron-Man replied. "Roger that! We're heading north!" the young Insurgent agent announced.

As they began moving, Samus sat next to the young man. "Hey, what's your name?" Samus asked. "My name is Rothberg; Private Elliot Rothberg. But you can call me Eli if you like." the young man replied. "Ok, Eli. How long have you been working with us?" Samus asked casually. "I can't really say; everything's still a bit fuzzy from the nuclear fallout." Eli explained. Samus looked through the window and sighed. "I hope Snake is all right. I just wish he were still here with us!" Samus whispered. As she began to fall asleep, she wondered if she would ever see him again.


	7. Hordes of Hell Unleashed!

**Chapter 7: Hordes of Hell Unleashed!**

* * *

Morning came and Snake woke up early, around 6:30 AM. He didn't need that much sleep to be at full capacity. He looked to see Spawn was also awake. He probably got up earlier than Snake. "Morning Spawn. I hope you gave some thought to what I said." Snake said as he got up from his makeshift bed. "I did." Spawn replied plainly. "Good. Have you reached a decision?" Snake said after he rinsed his face with water. "Yes. I've decided that I will cooperate with you, old man." Spawn said. Snake smiled a little, glad to hear that answer. "That's great." he began. "But on one condition!" Spawn interrupted. "Sure. Name it." Snake said cautiously. "I will be the one to kill Wesker." Spawn stated.

Snake frowned after hearing his terms. It was obvious that Spawn was still angry. But he was willing to cooperate, so Snake couldn't refuse to the terms. At the very least he would try to change Spawn's motives while they worked together. "All right. You've got a deal." Snake replied and extended his hand. Spawn looked at Snake's extended arm and was curious as to what he was doing. "It means we shake on it." Snake said half-jokingly. "Right." Spawn said and shook Snake's hand hesitantly.

Spawn and Snake grabbed their gear before they left the church. "Now before we get started, I want to drop by my place. There's a few things I want to pick up." Snake said. "All right. Lead the way." Spawn said. The two of them traveled and finally made their way to Snake's place…or rather, what was left of it. Upon arrival they saw a group of Super Mutants trashing the place. "Dammit!" Snake cursed. "Super Mutants." Spawn observed. "And they're probably Wesker's too." Snake added. "Why the hell would Wesker want to destroy your place? You're not even part of the Insurgency anymore." Spawn wondered.

Snake knew that Spawn was on to something as he said that. "Yeah, you would think that he would be primarily targeting the Insurgency, a group that is very open about their goal to defeat him. Maybe he sees me as a threat. I guess I should be flattered." Snake joked. Then he took out his M4A1 and put a clip in it. "Anyway, we have to take these things out." Snake continued. "No problem. I've dealt with these things before. They're just a bunch of mindless brutes." Spawn chuckled. "Maybe so, but never underestimate an enemy." Snake warned. "Whatever." Spawn shrugged him off and started to move forward with his weapons in hand.

Snake reached his arm out and grabbed Spawn's shoulder. "Woah, woah! Slow down there, kid." Snake exclaimed. "What is it?!" Spawn asked impatiently. "What exactly is your plan here? Just rush at them like a bat out of hell and immediately alert them to our presence?" Snake scolded. "Maybe. What, do you have any bright ideas?!" Spawn snapped. "As a matter of fact I do." Snake said and pulled out a smoke grenade. "Your Necroplasm senses allow you to see through smoke right?" Snake asked. "Yeah, so?" Spawn shot back. "So…if you're going to rush the enemy, why not maintain the element of surprise while doing so? This will obscure their vision, and give you time to get some free kills." Snake suggested.

Spawn realized that this was a pretty good plan. "All right. We'll do it your way." Spawn agreed. "Okay. On my mark…" Snake said as he pulled the pin from the smoke grenade. With a careful yet powerful throw, he tossed the grenade and it landed right in the middle of the group of Super Mutants. It went off, emitting a field of smoke all around them. "Go!" Snake ordered.

 ***Pantera: Mouth for War plays!***

The two moved forward, Snake moving to a strategic position, while Spawn ran right into the fray. "Agh! Smoke grenade! We're under attack!" one of the mutants shouted to the others. Snake was quite surprised to hear the mutant speak so articulately, but he decided to think about that later. Spawn rushed into the smoke and attacked two unsuspecting Super Mutants. He decapitated one of them with a clean slash from his Agony Axe, and then snapped the neck of the other Super Mutant.

Snake turned on the thermal vision function of his Solid Eye, allowing him to see through the smoke as well. He snuck up behind one of the mutants and jumped on the colossal creature's back. He wrapped his arms tightly around the Mutants head, as it began to try and shake him off. But Snake found his opening and stabbed its jugular vein with his knife, getting a clean kill. After the beast collapsed, Snake realized that the smoke was about to wear off, so he ran to cover.

The mutants began hearing their comrades being slain, so they started blind firing with their assault rifles until the smoke went away. They just so happened to be aiming in Spawn's direction. Seeing that a flurry of bullets were flying past him, Spawn moved to cover as well before one could hit him. The smoke finally stopped, and Snake and Spawn looked to see there were about eight mutants remaining. "Search the area! They can't have gotten far." One of the mutants ordered.

They split into two groups of four, with one squad searching in a different area than the other. Snake saw this and was impressed at how the mutants were actually using tactics. But at the same time, it was a bit scary. These mutants were a lot smarter than the ones he and Spawn had encountered in the past. One of the squads noticed Spawn's footprints on the ground. He motioned for his squad to stop as he examined where they lead to. The squad leader grinned as he determined where the footprints ended, and he tossed a grenade right where Spawn was hiding. "Shit!" Spawn cursed with wide eyes as the grenade landed near him. He quickly dove away just in time to escape the explosion, but at the same time he revealed himself to the mutants. "Contact!" The mutant yelled as they opened fire on Spawn.

Picking up an assault rifle of one of the dead mutants, Spawn began running from the bullets while firing back at the same time. While Snake's presence was still unknown, he couldn't allow them to all focus on Spawn. He came out of cover and shot one of the mutants with the underbarrel grenade launcher on his assault rifle, hitting it right in the back and blowing it to pieces. The force of the explosion also knocked the mutants around him back.

Realizing they were up against two opponents, they group of mutants divided their attention, with one group focused on Spawn, the other on Snake. The battle raged on for almost half an hour, with both sides going to cover and taking shots at each other. During the fight, Snake eventually managed to group up with Spawn, and took out a couple of mutants, knocking their numbers down to four. Eventually though, both sides ran out of ammo. They all knew what this meant, as the mutants began pulling out their variety of melee weapons. They ranged from primitive to advanced. One carried an old baseball bat wrapped in barbwire, while another carried a "hammer" that looked more like a mace powered with electricity.

Spawn wielded his Agony Axe in preparation for the fight. "I know you like using that knife old man, but that isn't going to do you any good here." Spawn advised. "I know." Snake replied. He then reached out into a sheath on his back and pulled out Gray Fox's High Frequency blade, a memento of his fallen friend. "I'm not a fan of swords, but I'll have to make an exception in this case." Snake stated.

With the blade in one hand, and his knife in the other, Snake went into his battle stance. Then the two sides charged each other, weapons raised. Spawn clashed with two mutants, one with the electric hammer and the other using a wooden plank with a nail straight through it. He shot Necroplasm at the hammer mutant's eyes and staggered him. Spawn then dropkicked the mutant to knock him down. The plank user immediately retaliated, swinging his weapon at Spawn.

Spawn dodged two swings, and felt that he could counter with his axe, but he was knocked back when the mutant hit him with a spinning back fist. It was a powerful hit, but it wasn't enough to put Spawn down for good. While Spawn was getting back up, the plank mutant helped his comrade back to his feet. The hammer mutant was up and enraged.

Snake, although being much weaker compared to Spawn, was holding his own just as well against the other two mutants. One of his opponents used the barbed wire baseball bat, while the other used a machete. While the HF Blade would be an ideal primary weapon, Snake found himself favoring to use it to block attacks, and then counter with small stabs with the knife. He also showed himself to be quite pragmatic when it came to combat, willing to utilize everything around him as a weapon.

He found an empty beer bottle and smashed it into the baseball bat mutant's face. The machete mutant kicked Snake to the ground, and was about to bring his blade down to cut Snake apart. But Snake grabbed a big rock and tossed it right at the mutant's face, staggering him back. Spawn noticed it and saw it as an opening, quickly leaping away from the two mutants he was fighting and right towards the staggered mutant. He cut off the arms of the mutant, it screamed in agony as blood spurted from his body. He finished it off by chopping its head off.

The enraged baseball bat mutant smacked Spawn in the back with its weapon. Spawn was forced to his knees from the pain. He turned his head to see the mutant towering over him, about to smash his head in with the bat. Then he saw a blade erupt from his chest. Snake had snuck behind it and impaled it with the HF blade. He withdrew the sword from the mutant's body and it dropped dead. "Looks like it's a fair fight now." Snake said as he looked over to the two remaining mutants.

Spawn rose to his feet and fought alongside Snake in this two versus two duel. Spawn focused on the hammer mutant while Snake fought the plank mutant. The nail of the mutant's plank managed to hit Snake's right arm, the one he held his sword with. The pain stung greatly and made Snake drop his HF blade. Then the mutant grabbed Snake by the throat and lifted him off the ground. The mutant chuckled, preparing to finish Snake off. Spawn spotted this in the corner of his eye, and immediately tackled the mutant, freeing Snake from its grip. He mounted the mutant and was ready to hack its head off.

The hammer mutant came charging in an attempt to save his comrade. Spawn was about to turn around, but the mutant was halted as Snake quickly got up and shanked the mutant with his knife. The mutant smacked Snake away with its fist in retaliation. Seeing that Snake had bought him some time, Spawn used it to slash the plank mutant's head into red paste. Eventually the Hammer mutant caught up to Spawn and smacked him with the hammer, and electric jolt going through him as he was knocked off the other mutant's corpse.

He landed near Snake, and they were both still recovering from the attacks they received. "You all right?" Snake asked as got back up. "I'm fine." Spawn muttered as he slowly got back up to his feet. "Besides, there's only one more." Spawn reminded. "What is it doing?" Snake asked. Spawn looked to see what he was talking about. The mutant put his hand on the corpse of the mutant Spawn just killed. It began glowing with a radiant energy. Finally, the corpse was absorbed by the mutant and turned the Super Mutant into a Super Mutant Behemoth.

 ***Song ends!***

It towered over Spawn and Snake, almost two stories tall. "Holy shit!" Snake shouted. "What the fuck?! Since when could mutants do that?!" Spawn wondered. "Okay let's remain calm. He's big, but not invincible. First let's try to bring it to its knees." Snake planned. "How the hell are you going to do that? You can't get anywhere near that thing without getting crushed and you're all out of ammo!" Spawn pointed out. "I know! I'll figure something out!" "Whatever! I'm going straight for the head!" Spawn snapped. "Spawn! Wait!" Snake exclaimed.

Spawn leapt towards the behemoth with his axe in hand. But the Behemoth simply swatted him to the ground like a fly with its massive fist. "Dammit kid!" Snake cursed after seeing Spawn get punished for his recklessness. He had to do something quick or the Behemoth was going to crush him. Luckily, Snake spotted a few remaining frag grenades on the corpses of the other mutants. Pulling the pin on one he tossed it and it went off right near the Behemoth's face.

It roared in pain from the explosion. While it may have hurt it a bit, the grenade also pissed the Behemoth off even more, and had it shift its focus to Snake. It slammed its fist down right near Snake, the shockwave of the punch sent him flying to where Spawn was. Snake coughed a bit of blood out after such a rough landing. Spawn had gotten up and lifted Snake back to his feet. "Get up old man! You're not dying on me yet!" Spawn said. He wasn't sure why but he felt some type of comradery towards Snake. Some type of bond between warriors created when fighting alongside each other in a life-or-death situation like this. "You said get it to its knees right? How do we do that?" he asked. "Okay…so I'm thinking…" Snake began.

But before Snake could explain his plan they were interrupted by the sound of loud explosions and the screams of anger and pain from the Behemoth. "FINISHING SHOWER!" a female voice shout. A barrage of missiles rained on the behemoth's back. The beast fell to its knees from the attack, and the two saw Morrigan Aensland flying in the air, clearly the one who attacked. "Okay, that works. Now Spawn, close your eyes!" Snake warned. He quickly pulled out a flashbang grenade he had been saving and tossed it at the Behemoth.

Just as the Behemoth was about to get up, the flashbang went off right in front of it and blinded it. "Use this and finish it!" Snake ordered and passed Spawn the High Frequency Blade. Spawn nodded as he gripped the sword. With a massive leap towards the Behemoth, Spawn was now above it and was preparing to land on its head. With all of his might, Spawn plunged the sword right into the head of the Behemoth. The Behemoth's roar began to die out and it toppled over.

Spawn pulled the sword out and jumped off the Behemoth's head before it collapsed. He landed near Snake and the two watched as the massive beast fell. It hit the ground and the impact sounded very similar to a building falling over. "Great job kid!" Snake gave a thumbs up to Spawn. Spawn grinned a little. "Yeah well…you weren't too shabby yourself, old man." He said, causing Snake to chuckle a little. "Great job boys!" Morrigan cheered as she approached the two of them. If Spawn and Snake were feeling any sort of positive emotions, they were completely gone now.

The two turned to look at her, neither of them happy to see her. Morrigan became a bit uncomfortable by the glares she was receiving. "Morrigan." Snake said, sounding uninterested. "You!" Spawn said with a hint of anger in his voice. "Uh…nice to see you too." Morrigan said nervously. "What the hell do you want?" Snake bluntly asked. "Is that how you talk to somebody that just saved your lives?!" Morrigan asked, shocked by Snake's attitude. "Oh, I'm sorry! Thanks!" Snake said sarcastically. "Tell us why you're here, now! What the hell do you want from us?!" Spawn snarled.

Morrigan couldn't believe her ears; after risking her life to help save these two, they treated her like this? Of course she was going to get angry. "What's the matter with you two?!" Morrigan snapped back. Snake nodded a little bit, almost letting out a small laugh. "When's the last time we talked Morrigan?" he asked. "About a month and a half ago, I think." Morrigan replied. "And what's the last thing that you said to me?" Snake challenged. "I…I don't remember…" Morrigan stuttered.

Snake walked right up to her and leaned towered her and quoted her. "You're such an asshole, Snake!" Snake sneered. Hearing her own words said back to her hit hard. She could only think of how foolish she looked by walking up to him and acting like nothing happened when those were the last things she said to him. "Snake…I'm sorry…I-" Morrigan began. "Shut up! If the Insurgency wants our help, then you can go tell them we're not interested." Snake snapped.

Morrigan sighed as she folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "I'm not part of the Insurgency." she said as a matter of factly. The response surprised Snake a bit. "Alright, then I'll ask again…why are you here?" Snake demanded. "I've been worried about Spawn. I want to help him." Morrigan replied. "Don't think that just because Reika's gone, you can have me, woman!" Spawn told her. "What?! How could you think that?! Reika was my friend!" Morrigan exclaimed.

Spawn suddenly rushed up towards her and got in her face. "That didn't stop you from making advances on me…even when she was alive." Spawn growled. Morrigan was on the verge of bursting into tears. The force of all her sins was coming back and stabbed her like a knife. "If you wanted to help me than it took you a damn long time to decide to do so. In fact, the first guy that offered to help me is the guy you all got mad at because he said things about me that you didn't like. Isn't that ironic?" Spawn sneered.

Morrigan finally burst into tears, even though that deep down she knew that this was bound to happen sooner or later. "Alright, that's enough. I think she feels guilty enough." Snake said to change the mood. "You want to help? Then maybe you can tell us something we need to know. Like something about these super mutants. Why the hell were they talking?" Snake interrogated. "What do you mean? Super Mutants have always been able to talk." Spawn noted. "Well yeah, but usually they all speak like the Hulk, and they fight like barbarians. These guys were articulate, and they could cooperate, make tactics." Snake pointed out.

Morrigan finally stopped crying before she finally spoke up again. "It's a massive increase in intelligence Wesker was somehow able to create and implement into the mutants he creates." she said as she wiped her eyes dry. "What about absorbing another mutant to increase power? Is that Wesker's doing?" Spawn asked. "That's right." Morrigan replied. "So…Wesker's doing some crazy bio-weapon experiments. What a surprise! Anything else?" Snake said with obvious sarcasm. "I do know where Batman is." Morrigan claimed.

This actually surprised Snake. "Well that's some pretty important information. Where is he?" Snake asked. Morrigan crossed her arms again and looked away. "I'm not telling you anymore unless you let me help you and Spawn." She stated her terms. Snake sighed, not too pleased with the idea of having to work with her. But he felt he had to put his personal feelings aside. "Well, I can't deny that you did help us a great deal back there…and Batman needs to be saved." Snake said. "Why exactly do you want to save Batman, just out of curiosity. Don't you remember the last time you saw him?" Morrigan questioned as she turned back around to face them.

Snake couldn't help but chuckle as he remembered. "Yeah I remember what happened. He was by far the angriest because of what I said. He was so angry he actually punched me in the face. But despite all of that, Bruce is a good man. I can't just let him die." Snake explained. "Well, I don't see the point in saving him. What does that do for us?" Spawn asked. Morrigan was appalled by what Spawn said, but Snake didn't mind. "Spawn! That's horrible!" She gasped. "Hey! It's his opinion Morrigan. Deal with it." Snake told her. "But you just talked about wanting to save Batman, and he says he doesn't care!" Morrigan complained.

Snake sighed in irritation before he approached Morrigan face to face. "Guess what Morrigan!? Not everyone is a hero! Not everybody will do something because it's the right thing to do! Some people do things based on their motivations. And those motivations aren't always the same as yours. That's called the real world. Get fucking used to it!" Snake scolded her.

Spawn couldn't help but hold a little more respect for Snake because of his realistic view on the world. "Let me handle it!" Snake told her and then walked up to Spawn. "Listen Spawn, I don't want to work with her as much as you do. And I can respect why you wouldn't want to save Batman. He's not your friend so you don't have any personal reason to help him. But saving Batman would actually be very beneficial to both of us." Snake explained. "I know why it'd be beneficial to you, but how does it help me?" Spawn retorted. "Think about it, Batman's not one to easily get captured. If he got captured, then it's because he really stuck his neck out and found out something big. He must have found out where Wesker is and got caught in the process. So if we find Batman, then we'll find Wesker." Snake explained.

Spawn thought about it, but was still a bit hesitant. "We really don't have any other leads?" he questioned. "I'm afraid not." Snake replied. "All right…fine." Spawn conceded. "Okay Morrigan, you can tag along." Snake said, Morrigan's face filled with joy. "But! You follow our rules! Got it?" Snake said sternly. "Got it!" Morrigan replied. "Good." Snake said as he nodded his head. "By the way, what the hell did we come here for? Whatever it was it must be gone right?" Spawn reminded.

Snake walked over towards the remains of his house before kneeling to the ground. "Well, it doesn't look like they found my secret room." Snake said as he opened up a manhole. "Yep. Everything's fine there. I just need to grab my better Sneaking suit and equipment and then we can move out." Snake announced.


	8. Legend of the Feral Beast!

**Chapter 8: Legend of the Feral Beast!**

* * *

Spawn, Snake, and Morrigan wandered through the Wastelands for about 12 hours before they finally reached their destination; an abandoned office building in the north. "Here it is; just like I promised. So now you two have to be extra nice to me!" Morrigan announced teasingly. "Don't push your luck!" Spawn growled. "Hey, easy! Ok, you two stay here while I sneak ahead to check for any danger. I'll be back as soon as I can." Snake instructed as he turned on his Stealth Camo for his Sneaking Suit.

As Snake turned invisible and crept away, Spawn didn't take his glaring eyes off of Morrigan. Morrigan sighed as she turned her wings into a comfy chair and sat cross-legged in front of Spawn. "Ok...get it out of your system. I can take it!" Morrigan said calmly. Spawn's glare softened up as he sat next to Morrigan. "I don't know what you're talking about, Morrigan." Spawn began. It was Morrigan's turn to get angry. "Don't do that to me! I know what you're thinking and I can't blame you!" she snapped.

Spawn raised his eyebrows a bit as she said that. "What are you going on about?" Spawn demanded. Morrigan got up from her seat, which turned back into her wings. "It's all my fault, all right?!" Morrigan sobbed. "Why? What did you do?" Spawn questioned. Morrigan looked at Spawn with bitter tears in her eyes. "I let my own lust get in the way, all right? And it's because of me that she's dead! I couldn't help myself; I was just so jealous of the love you had for Reika, that I wanted to feel the same pleasure she had. And it's because of me that she's gone. I'm so sorry!" Morrigan wept.

Much to her surprise, Spawn touched her face gently. His fingers stroked her hair straight before wiping away her tears. "Morrigan...I don't blame you for what happened to her, all right? If there's anyone to blame, it's me. I blame myself for what happened to her." Spawn said softly. Morrigan sniffled as she gently grabbed his hands. "You mean...you're not mad at me?" Morrigan whispered. "No...I'm not mad at you, I promise." Spawn replied. Morrigan sighed heavily before she buried her face into his chest, to which Spawn held her without hesitation. "I'm sorry." Spawn whispered. "Me too, honey. Me too!" Morrigan mumbled.

Meanwhile; Snake crept towards the abandoned office building. But as he approached the entrance, he noticed that there was something very strange about the place. It was empty...save for the cold, ominous feeling of something horrible that must have happened. "Something's not right here." Snake said as he turned off his Stealth Camo. As he opened the doors to the entrance, he immediately realized why it was empty.

Every square inch of the dimly lit hallways was soaked with blood, and the floors were littered with dead bodies and empty bullet casings. "Shit! Looks like a massacre!" Snake said as he carefully stepped into the building. He turned on his night vision, via his Solid Eye.

He opened up a few doors to see if he could find any other clues, but all he could find was old junk that looked like it had been abandoned for years...as well as more dead bodies and blood splatters on the wall. "Hmm...there's nothing here. Maybe I should get back to the others and let them know what I've found." Snake said to himself. But as Snake touched the wall, he noticed that there was something strange about it. It wasn't because the walls were old and brittle...it was because there were strange markings on the wall.

Snake used his Solid Eye to observe the markings on the wall before he came to the conclusion that they were claw markings. "Damn! Whatever did all of this sure was pissed. I hope I don't run into...whatever the hell did all of this!" Snake said to himself. As Snake slowly crept out of the building, he was unaware that something lurked in the darkness...watching his every move.

Snake eventually returned to Spawn and Morrigan, surprised to see the two cuddling. "Well, looks like you two seemed to have set aside your differences." Snake joked. Spawn and Morrigan gasped as they immediately let go of each other, blushing in embarassment as they were caught red-handed. ""It's not what it looks like, I swear!" Morrigan said with a bright blush on her face. "It's ok; I understand. Well do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?" Snake chuckled. "I can already tell this won't end well. What happened?" Spawn said seriously.

Snake sighed as he sat down on a rock. "Well, the good news is...there aren't any bad guys left in the building. The bad news is, something clearly got to them before we did!" Snake explained. "Oh, God...whatever happened to Batman?!" Morrigan exclaimed in shock. "I don't know. I only searched the ground floor, and all I could find were dead bodies. Something was angry and sure took pleasure in butchering those bastards. Can't say that I feel sorry for them, though!" Snake explained. "Well, did you find out what happened?" Spawn pressed.

Snake shook his head. "Nope...all I could find were strange claw marks on the walls. That, and all those bodies that were shredded to pieces." Snake pointed out as he lit up a cigarette. Morrigan's eyes widened as he said that. "Oh no... we must be dealing with the Feral Beast." Morrigan said grimly. "The Feral Beast?!" Spawn and Snake both exclaimed. "Yes...I've only heard stories from around the Wasteland during my travels, but rumor has it that this Feral Beast is one of the many monsters that escaped from the clutches of Albert Wesker. They say that the Feral Beast is neither man nor animal, but a beast of pure primitive wrath and fury. I don't know what happened to this beast, but all I know is...that whatever Wesker put it through sure made it angry." Morrigan explained.

Spawn and Snake nodded their heads before they stood up. "Well, in that case...we better watch our backs." Spawn said. "Yeah, no telling what will happen if we come across this Feral Beast." Snake said as he smoked the last of his cigarette. "So what now?" Morrigan asked. "Well, if you say that Batman was last seen here...I guess there's only one thing to do." Snake began as he stomped his cigarette to the ground. "What?! You can't be serious! We can't go inside of there; what if that monster finds us and rips us to shreds?!" Spawn exclaimed.

Snake sighed as he shook his head. "I don't think we really have a choice. This is the only lead we have right now. Besides, there's three of us now, so I think we can manage." Snake said. "Um, I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you. I've heard rumors that this Feral Beast has actually killed a couple of Wesker's best monsters, including a Super Mutant Behemoth!" Morrigan pointed out. "Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. Who knows? Maybe this 'beast' still has his wits about him and could help us out." Snake shrugged.

Spawn scoffed at him as he said that. "Well what the hell did you have in mind? Sitting down and having a civilized conversation while having tea?! You can't always talk sense into everyone, old man!" Spawn snapped. "Maybe not, but then again...this Feral Beast seems to have something in common with us." Snake pointed out. "And what's that?" Spawn demanded. "He hates Wesker as much as we do. And maybe, he can help us find him!" Snake suggested. "Well if that's the case, you do the talking!" Spawn snorted as he stood up. "Well...what are we waiting for. Let's get in there and see if we can find Batman...if the Feral Beast hasn't gotten to him, that is!" Morrigan said nervously.

As the three heroes marched onward to the office building, the sun began to set. "It's getting dark out. We better keep our guard up; you never know who or what we'll be up against now that it's dark." Snake warned. "Don't need to tell me twice!" Spawn said as he drew out his Agony Axe. "I don't know...I have a bad feeling about this!" Morrigan warned.

They stepped inside of the office building, and immediately Spawn and Morrigan were greeted with the grim display of the Feral Beast's latest rampage. "Damn! You weren't kidding after all, old man!" Spawn said as he examined the carnage. "What destructive power!" Morrigan exclaimed. "Shh...keep it down; we might not be alone!" Snake shushed. As they all snuck through the darkened halls, the uneasy feeling of them being watched began to grow and grow more by the minute.

As they climbed up the stairs, the three heroes were greeted with an unpleasant surprise; half of the building was gone and a long drop stood before them. "Damn it! Now what?!" Spawn growled. "Relax; we'll think of something!" Snake said calmly. "Hey, Spawn? You have chains, don't you?" Morrigan asked. "Yes...why?" Spawn demanded. "Look at that pillar; it's weak. If you can use your chains to latch onto that pillar and pull it-" Morrigan began. "Then we can create a way across! Good eye, Morrigan!" Snake said.

Spawn nodded his head as he grabbed the pillar with his chains. "Be careful, Spawn. Try not to pull too hard or you'll crush us!" Snake warned. "All right, Obi-Wan. I've got this!" Spawn snapped as he pulled. "Obi-Wan, huh? I never took you for a pop-culture guy." Snake chuckled. The pillar almost immediately came crashing down, creating a bridge across the large gap. "Woo-hoo! Nice job, Spawn." Morrigan cheered. "Let's go, we don't have much time to waste!" Spawn replied snappishly. "He means well, Morrigan." Snake reminded as he saw how upset she was. "I know...it's actually not even that. It's just that-" Morrigan began. "What?" Snake asked.

Spawn was already across, when he turned back to see the two still talking. "Hey! Are you two done talking?! Let's go!" Spawn shouted. "Spawn! Quiet; we may not be alone!" Snake hissed. "Never mind, Snake. It's nothing! Let's just keep going!" Morrigan said as she walked across the bridge. Snake shrugged as he followed. The three heroes continued wandering through the ruins of the office building, surprised to see a bunch of old technology just left to rust and rot as they went along. "This place must have been a laboratory at one point." Snake guessed. "Maybe Wesker thought he could bring this technology back to life and use it for his experiments." Morrigan added. "And maybe somebody didn't like that!" Spawn finished as he pointed to a room.

Snake and Morrigan gasped as they saw what appeared to be an empty pod, as well as the bloody remains of what appeared to be scientists. "Damn! This beast sure knows how to make a mess." Snake said. "What is this?" Morrigan wondered as she observed the place. She approached a desk, which was cluttered with junk. As she rummaged through the desk, she found a tape recorder. "Huh? Hey, guys! Check this out; I found something!" Morrigan cried.

Snake and Spawn approached her, to which she showed off the tape recorder. "Nice find! Now let's see if it still works." Snake said as he observed it and pressed the play button. At first, the sounds from the tape recorder were a mumbling static mess. "Hmm...hold on, let me try something!" Snake said as he opened up the tape recorder. After fixing up the messed up tape, he placed it back in the box and pressed the play button again.

This time, the recording was quite clear. And the message inside gave Snake and the others a chill down their spines. " _This tape recording is by Albert Wesker, and it is day 13 of Experiment 665; The Ressurrection of Weapon X! All of our tests on our beloved subject are as expected; successful! Within 24 hours, Weapon X will be completely under my control!"_ an evil, chilling, and familiar voice began. "Wesker!" Spawn snarled as he clenched his fists. "Oh, God!" Morrigan gasped. "Shh! There's more." Snake shushed. " _I have put Weapon X under a great many strenuous tests of endurance, and each test has become more painful and violent in nature than the last. Much to my pleasure, Weapon X has been able to endure these tests. There is a great power inside of my little subject, and I intend to use that power for my many needs. The exportation and transportation of Weapon X will begin very shortly. I look forward to seeing what my little monster is capable of out in the field!_ " Wesker's evil voice continued.

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound in the recording was heard along with screams of pain and anguish. " _What the hell?! DAMN IT! DON'T LET WEAPON X ESCAPE, YOU FOOLS! STOP HIM BEFORE HE ESCAPES!_ " Wesker screamed before the recording ended. "Weapon X…that sounds familiar." Snake silently muttered to himself. "Could it be…no. No that's not possible. He's gone." Snake said and dismissed whatever he was thinking. "Did you say something, Snake?" Morrigan asked. "Huh? No, it's nothing." Snake lied.

Spawn wasn't having any of it. "We need to get the hell out of here!" Spawn said. "Not until we find Batman!" Snake pointed out. "There's no time for that, we need to go now!" Spawn snapped. "Maybe Batman escaped and has found shelter somewhere; there's a Wasteland Wanderer Shelter not too far from here. Maybe Batman got there before Wesker's little science project escaped!" Morrigan suggested.

Snake nodded his head in agreement. "All right, then. Lead the way!" Snake said. Morrigan soon led the two away from the office building. But as they left, they were all completely unaware that something still watched their every move from the shadows. It growled with animalistic fury as it finally decided to follow them. As soon as they were out of the building, Spawn's Necroplasm Senses alerted of him of a nearby presence. "Huh? Wait...something isn't right here! Hold on." Spawn announced as he turned around and drew out his Agony Axe.

Spawn used his Necro Vision to try and find the source of his senses, but couldn't seem to find anything. "Spawn? What is it, what's wrong?" Morrigan asked nervously. "You heard something?" Snake suggested. "Hmm...maybe...but then again, maybe not. Let's keep going!" Spawn said as he turned back around and slung his Agony Axe over his shoulders, which turned back into his cape. "All right...but let me know if you hear or see something again." Snake responded.

About a mile or two later, Morrigan finally led Snake and Spawn towards the Wastelander Wanderer Shelter. It was a small little shanty town, every building made out of scrap metal or wood. The people who lived there were ragged, weary, and cranky...but for good reasons. They were either in hiding from Wesker's forces, hiding from slavers and raiders, or simply trying to rest after endless wandering through the Wasteland. "Hmph! You'd probably find more cheer in a cemetery than this shithole!" Spawn growled. "Spawn! Don't say that; that's awful!" Morrigan exclaimed. "Let me do the talking, all right? Why don't you two see if you can find us a place to rest?" Snake suggested.

Spawn and Morrigan agreed, while Snake went to the town center to ask about the whereabouts of Batman. "Excuse me? Have you seen a guy dressed up like a bat?" Snake asked a large, burly man. "Huh? I can't hear you, lad...I'm deaf!" he replied. "Have you seen a guy that looks like a bat?" Snake said a bit louder. "Do I like rats? You bet I do, boy...you ought to try a rat on a stick; tastes like chicken if you ask me!" the large man replied. "Ugh...never mind. Hey! You've seen a guy dressed like a bat?" Snake asked a prostitute. "No, but maybe I can help you with something else...for about 100 bucks." the prostitute purred. "Forget it! Hey, kid? You know anything about Batman? He's about 6 feet tall and wears a cape and a cowl; he's got a symbol of a bat on his chest. You've seen him?" Snake asked a little boy. "My mommy says I'm not allowed to talk to strangers!" the little boy replied before he took off. "Well good to see there's still good parenting even in the Wasteland. At this rate I'll never find out what I need to know!" Snake sighed.

Suddenly, a smug looking gentleman approached Snake with a wicked grin on his face. "Ah, a newcomer. Welcome to my humble abode; you have the finest food, drink, and merchandise in all of the the Wasteland!" he said proudly. "Fascinating! Now unless you have anything important to say to me, get lost!" Snake grumbled. "Temper, my friend! I can help you with whatever it is you need; you need a place to stay, you got it! Just stop on by Moriarty's and you can have a comfy bed for as long as you like...for the right price, of course!" the man replied.

Snake looked at the man with suspicion in his eyes; he didn't look like he could be trusted at all. "And may I ask who the hell you are?" Snake demanded. "Oh, so that's how it is? Ok, fine...I'll play tough guy with ya. The name's Moriarty, and I own this shithole. Now by the looks of you, you look like a man of no nonsense...so here's a little tip for ya; watch yourself! It's better to have more friends than enemies, especially around here!" the man said crossly. "Gee, thanks for the tip old man. Now if you'll excuse me-" Snake began.

Moriarty began chuckling as Snake began to walk away. "You won't find him here, lad. He's gone!" he began. "What? Who?!" Snake demanded. "Your friend the Bat? He came here a while ago, but he left. Where, I don't know...unless you pay me." Moriarty sneered. "Look, pal...if you know something, you better tell me now!" Snake growled now losing his patience. "Information is a commodity around these parts, boy. And information ain't cheap...so unless you got the cash, scram on outta here before I call my boys over to kick your ass out!" Moriarty snapped.

Snake took a deep breath and sighed. "Ok...how much do you want?" Snake said at last. "Ordinarily I'd charge double, but for you...I'd say about 150 bucks is a fair price." Moriarty stated. "I don't have 150 bucks on me, and besides...what makes you think I'd pay you anyway? You look like you live the fine life enough as it is! Besides, greed only makes things worse for you. The more you want, the less you receive!" Snake scolded.

Moriarty laughed at him as he said that. "Oh, that's rich! You think you can lecture me, boy?! I worked my balls off to find and build this place, so I think it's only fair that I get paid for all my hard work!" Moriarty said angrily. "You worked to build this place? Oh I'm sure you did. You must be a "self-made man" right? Made your path to success, and stepped on a few necks along the way. But I get it, it was "just business" right? Bullshit! You made this place off the backs of hard working, good people. I know a scumbag when I see one." Snake retorted.

This made Moriarty very angry, as he got into Snake's face. "You've got balls, boy...really big ones...so I'll assume that you're messing with me. Now fuck off before I call Jericho over to give you a good beating!" Moriarty snarled. "There you go, proving me right. I'm a problem to you, and you can't handle it yourself. So you gotta call the boys to do it for you. Well don't worry about it, I'll see myself out." Snake snapped before he took off to find his friends. But as he left, Moriarty whipped out a cellphone and dialed a number. "Yeah, it's me...put Wesker on the line; I think I found someone interesting!" Moriarty sneered as he watched Snake walk away.

After exiting the place something came to Snake's attention. "Wait a minute…how the hell did he know I was looking for Batman?" He thought. The thought led to a bad realization. "Shit!" Snake cursed and quickly began searching for Spawn and Morrigan. He had to find them before it was too late!


	9. And Hell Followed!

**Chapter 9: And Hell Followed!**

* * *

Snake moved quickly around the bustling town before he finally found his two companions napping on a bunk bed at an inn. "Spawn! Morrigan! We need to move!" Snake ordered with urgency. "Huh? What's the problem?" Morrigan asked sleepily. "I'm certain that Wesker has spies in this place, and I'm pretty sure one is onto us. He's probably alerting Wesker's forces as we speak. So we need to get out of here!" Snake explained. "Well, what the hell are we waiting for? Let's not waste any more time." Spawn said as he stood up.

The three traveled about an hour away from the shelter. They made their way through some canyons, carefully observing their surroundings. But it didn't take too long to find themselves surrounded by hitmen as they approached a dead end. "Dammit! Looks like they were waiting for us!" Snake cursed. The three readied themselves for a fight. Among the men around them, Moriarty stepped out alongside his number one man, Jericho. "So, you thought you were going to get away did you?" Moriarty laughed sinisterly.

Snake gritted his teeth as he stepped up to face him, despite the armed goons aiming their assault rifles at him. "So I was right. Not only are you a scumbag, but you're Wesker's rat." Snake sneered. "You shut your mouth or I'll blow your fucking head off!" Jericho roared as he pointed his AK-47 at Snake's face. "Easy, Jerry. Let's not get too violent just yet, ok? After all, I'm sure our friend here wants to know why I'm working for dear old Wesker. Isn't that right, Snake?" Moriarty sneered.

Snake growled with anger as he willed himself not to reach for his pistol. Each minute this asshole spoke, Snake wanted to kill him more. There was just something so vile and unlikable about this guy, that even Snake couldn't wait to finish him off. "The thing between me and Wesker is business. It's mutually beneficial." Moriarty explained. "Yeah, you try and convince yourself that. But you're forgetting one thing!" Snake said. "Oh? And what might that be?" Moriarty retorted. "That Wesker doesn't always keep his friends close. If anything, you're nothing more than a loose end to him." Snake sneered. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean, old man?!" Jericho snarled. "It means...the minute you fools outlive your usefulness, Wesker is going to kill you. So you might as well give up and slither back into that slimy hellhole you call home before he finds you!" Snake snapped.

Morarity growled in anger. "I don't have time for this nonsense! Kill em' boys!" he shouted. But just as the hitmen raised their weapons, several of them were blown to pieces by a Laser Minigun. Everyone looked toward the direction of where the gunfire was coming from. It was a Super Mutant firing at them, but not at Snake, Spawn and Morrigan. "What the hell?!" Snake exclaimed.

Then a woman with an assault rifle moved in and gunned down the rest of the hitmen. "Great job, Fawkes!" she said referring to the Super Mutant. Snake recognized the woman immediately. "Jill Valentine!" Snake cried. "Don't just stand there, Snake! Give us a hand!" Jill smirked. "Right! Let's do this!" Snake replied.

The five of them wiped out the rest hitmen within a minute. Only Moriarty and Jericho were left alive. Jericho was tied up and sat back against a rock with Spawn and Jill aiming their assault rifles at him, while Moriarty was on his back shaking with fear. "Keep an eye on Jericho. I'll handle this." Snake told the others. He walked over to Moriarty and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "So tell me, rat. Do you know where Batman is?" Snake snarled. "N-No! I was just told that you were looking for him!" Moriarty stuttered.

Snake rubbed his chin. "I see. Well, it looks like you've got nothing to offer." Snake said and pointed a pistol at his head. "W-w-wait! You can't kill me!" Moriarty screamed. "Actually, yes I can." Snake growled. Snake then pulled the trigger and killed the greedy man. "NO! You murderous bastards; you're gonna pay for that!" Jericho screamed. "Shut up! Don't you fucking move, you scumbag!" Jill shouted as she rammed the butt of her assault rifle against Jericho's face. "What should we do with this piece of shit?" Spawn asked Snake as he approached them.

Snake answered by firing his pistol at Jericho several times before finally killing him with a headshot. "Leave him for the buzzards!" Snake replied before walking away. Soon enough, everyone else followed him. Almost immediately, several large buzzards and vultures swarmed the dead bodies of Jericho and Moriarty before devouring their flesh.

Eventually, they all reached an open spot on a desert plain and stopped to rest for a while. Snake made a small campfire and ordered everyone to huddle around for warmth. Jill walked towards Snake before she sat down next to him. He turned and faced her with a small smile on his lips. Jill smiled back. "It's good to see you." she said. "Likewise. Thanks for the help." He said gratefully. He looked over to the Super Mutant that was seen approaching their direction. "So who's your friend?" Snake asked. "Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce you to him." Jill exclaimed.

The Super Mutant approached Snake and extended his hand to Snake. "Hello! My name is Fawkes!" Fawkes greeted. It was rather strange to see a civil Super Mutant, but Snake thought he seemed friendly enough. And if Jill trusted him, then he was sure he could. He shook Fawkes' hand. "Hello Fawkes. My name is Snake." Snake introduced.

Morrigan then stepped in to properly greet herself. "Hello, Jill! It's good to see you're still alive and well. And hello to you Mr. Fawkes. I am Morrigan." Morrigan said in a sweet tone. "Hello!" Fawkes said happily, glad to meet new people. Fawkes looked over to Spawn, who had his arms folded and looked at the mutant with disdain. "C'mon Spawn! Go ahead and introduce yourself!" Morrigan insisted.

Spawn glared at the Super Mutant with venom in his eyes; he did not trust this strange creature. "Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't take your fucking head off!" Spawn snarled. "Spawn! How dare you?! That's no way to treat our guest!" Morrigan scolded. "No, It's okay Morrigan. I understand how Spawn feels. After all, Super Mutants haven't exactly shown themselves to be friendly. It's natural to be cautious. I guess I should be thankful that none of you are shooting me on sight. But then again, I guess I have Jill to thank for that." Fawkes explained.

Spawn wasn't having any of this. "That still doesn't answer my damn question! Why shouldn't I blow your fucking brains out of that thick skull of yours?!" Spawn cried angrily as he suddenly stood up. "Spawn...calm down, please!" Snake said sternly. Spawn glared at Snake, but Snake's expression immediately made him rethink his attitude. "Well, I guess you'll have no choice but to take my word for it. Besides...even if I wanted to kill you all, I probably would have by now. So I guess you're just gonna have to trust me!" Fawkes stated.

Spawn finally relaxed and sat back down. "Whatever. Just stay away from me, and don't try anything stupid with me!" Spawn growled. "Fair enough!" Fawkes said as he stood up and poked the fire with a stick. "Where did you meet him?" Snake asked Jill trying to change the subject. "It was in an abandoned lab. One of Wesker's. He was locked up in a cell, and when he saw me, he talked to me. He was very peaceful and smart, and said he would help me find what I was looking for if I freed him. I did that and he kept his end of the deal. Then he offered to travel with me. I feel like he can be trusted and would be a great ally, so I let him tag along." Jill explained.

Snake nodded his head as he pulled out a cigarette. "I see. So what brings you two here?" Snake questioned. "Well…I've been looking for you." Jill admitted. "Really?" Snake asked in surprise. "Yes. I heard about you going off on your own. And I wanted to help. I consider you a friend, and I want to make up for what I did to you and Samus' relationship." she explained sadly.

Spawn and Morrigan looked at Jill with confusion, but Snake put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "Jill…that's all in the past. I don't hold anything against you. Besides, it wasn't going to work out between the two of us anyway. None of it's your fault." Snake said kindly. "But Snake-" Jill began. "No buts…like I said, it's in the past. You keep dwelling on it and it'll make you go mad. Let's focus on the future, and on preventing Wesker from being a part of it." Snake advised.

Jill started to feel more at peace with herself. "You got it!" She smiled. "Looks like we're getting a little team started." Morrigan giggled. "I guess so." Jill laughed. As they laughed, Spawn began to soften up a little inside. He wouldn't admit it, but it comforted him to see people getting along...which was something rare in these dark times. "You said you were looking for something in that lab? What was it?" Spawn questioned. "Oh, that's right! It was a list of the locations of his other labs. I figured if we look through those we'll eventually find something that will lead us to him and Batman." Jill said as she pulled out the list.

Snake puffed the last of his cigarette before he threw it into the fire and put it out. "Sounds good. Where's the next one?" Snake asked. "A few hours to the North." Jill replied. "What are we waiting for? Let's move!" Spawn said as he stood up. The then group moved on to their next destination. While Spawn and Snake took the role as point-men, Jill and Morrigan followed them while conversing with each other. "I'm really surprised." Jill started. "About what?" Morrigan asked.

Jill sighed as she looked at Spawn. "Spawn. He's a lot less…volatile than he used to be." Jill admitted. "Yeah, you're right. I suppose Snake had something to do with that." Morrigan sighed. "I wouldn't doubt it." Jill said with a smile. "How do you think he did it? I mean, Spawn used to despise Snake. And I thought Snake felt the same towards him. Yet somehow Spawn is willingly working with him. But when I would try to talk to Spawn he wouldn't listen to me, even though we were on good terms." Morrigan expressed.

Jill laughed a little as she shook her head. "I worked with Snake for a while. Even though he doesn't have super powers, everyone who's worked with him will tell you that his strongest trait is his persistence and determination. It might as well be considered his superpower, because his willpower is almost inhuman. Plus, he's always been a good talker." Jill explained. "So what are you saying?" Morrigan wondered as she tilted her head.

Jill smiled as she looked at Morrigan's eyes. "Snake made a goal that involved helping Spawn, and when Snake makes a goal there are only two outcomes. He accomplishes it, or he dies trying. So I can't say how he did it, but somehow he was able to get Spawn to hear him out." Jill stated. "I really hope he can help him. I worry so much about the guy. He may not be the friendliest guy around but I still think there's good in him." Morrigan said sadly. "Don't worry, I'm sure Snake can do it." Jill assured.

Meanwhile Snake and Spawn walked side-by-side and spoke with each other. Snake looked back at Fawkes, who was watching the group's back as they traveled. He then looked over to Spawn. "Hey, kid. I know you mean well...but take it easy on Fawkes, all right?" Snake said calmly. He had expected Spawn would react violently towards Fawkes. He wouldn't have blamed him if he did, given their last run-in with super mutants wasn't friendly in the slightest. But miraculously, Spawn didn't actually attack Fawkes, and Snake was proud of him for that.

Spawn just sighed in annoyance. "Whatever, old man. Do you even really think we can trust that thing?" Spawn questioned. "Well, you can never be too sure when it comes to trust. You can only determine who's the least likely to betray you. That being said, I've known Jill for a bit and I have a lot of trust in her. And I know that Jill absolutely hates anything that is a byproduct of bioweapon experiments. So to see that she's friendly with Fawkes, a super mutant, makes me think he's trustworthy." Snake explained.

Spawn just shook his head. "I don't care! I'm still keeping an eye on him, and the minute he even breathes wrong...I'm gonna fucking end him!" Spawn growled. "By all means do that. I'll be keeping an eye out too. Like I said, nobody can be trusted completely. But just try to take it easy, all right?" Snake suggested. "Fine! At least that's one thing we can agree on." Spawn stated.

Spawn suddenly smirked. "You know something, old man? You really didn't waste any time back there by putting those scumbags down." He said referring to Moriarty and Jericho. "Yeah. What about it?" Snake demanded. "You didn't seem to hesitate in killing off those bastards. It's kinda nice to see someone do something without overthinking it like all the other Insurgents do!" Spawn replied.

It was Snake's turn to laugh. "Yeah, I know what you mean. A lot of the people in the Insurgency follow a "No Killing" code when it comes to humans. And I can respect that. But there are times when lethal force is needed. There are people that will only stop being a threat to the world when they are dead. Moriarty and his cronies were those kinds of people." Snake said with disdain.

Spawn seemed a little confused by his words. "I don't follow you!" Spawn said. "He didn't give a shit about anyone but himself and money. A man completely consumed by greed, willing to work with one of the most dangerous men on the planet just to make money? There was no point in sparing him, and neither was letting that psycho hitman of his, Jericho. If we let them live, they would have screwed somebody else over later." Snake explained.

Spawn couldn't help but feel more respect for Snake after he said that. "I see. You really are a lot different from the others." Spawn said gravely. "I'm not a hero, and I don't try to act like I'm one. I do what I do to try and make the world a little bit better for others. That is my purpose." Snake declared. "Purpose?" Spawn muttered. He thought about the word and its meaning for a bit. It troubled him, for as far as he knew, he had no purpose. Snake could tell what he was thinking, and patted him on the shoulder to shake him out of his thoughts. "Don't worry kid. We'll find you a purpose." Snake assured. "Hmph. Whatever you say, old man." Spawn grumbled.

Finally, the group had arrived at the lab. It was rather quiet, no signs of activity. It was either a good sign or a bad sign, depending on how you looked at it. "Looks like this one's been abandoned too." Morrigan noted. "Yes, but do not feel safe just yet! There could still be some experiments still in there, just as I was. Though only this time, they might not be locked up." Fawkes warned. "Fawkes is right. Everybody, keep your guard up! We don't know what to expect." Snake commanded. "Don't have to tell me twice." Jill replied.

As they all stopped and began arming themselves, Snake looked at Fawkes and began to wonder something. "By the way Fawkes, can I ask you something?" Snake asked as he finished loading his M4A1 assault rifle. "Of course Snake! What is it?" Fawkes replied as he finished cleaning his Gatling Laser Cannon. "How were you able to go against Wesker's orders? He creates Super Mutants to work for him. What made you stand out from the others?" Snake asked.

Fawkes suddenly laughed. "Ah! That is a good question…and one I'm not even sure I know the answer to. All of us Super Mutants were regular people at one point. However, I don't remember who I was before my mutation or what my name was. But despite my mutation, I still retained my intelligence!" Fawkes began. "You kept it even before Wesker created the intelligence augmentation?" Snake wondered.

Fawkes nodded his head furiously. "That's right! So when Wesker was trying to indoctrinate us to follow his ideas, I objected. I felt that what he was doing was wrong. That's when he had me locked up in that cell. But in that cell, there was an old computer terminal, and it had a lot of information about the outside world. I kept looking at it and learned about the history of the world to keep myself from going crazy. I even got my name from it after reading about a man with the last name of Fawkes! And soon enough, Jill found me." Fawkes explained.

Everyone was astounded by Fawkes' story, even Spawn. "Well, you really a smart one after all!" Spawn smirked. "That's incredible! How come you never told me about that?" Jill questioned. "Oh! Well, you never asked!" Fawkes scratched his head. "Well, if we're done socializing...let's get going!" Spawn said as he drew out a pair of assault rifles. "Right. Alright team, follow my lead!" Snake ordered as he raised his weapon.

They entered the lab the inside further reinforced the fact that it was abandoned. There was nobody there, the lights were off, equipment was broken. They carefully treaded onward, looking for any clues the place might contain. But suddenly, Snake and Spawn started looking all around in surprise. "I just heard something!" Snake exclaimed. "Me too! I can feel it; it's monstrous...evil!" Spawn said as he held his head.

"What is-" Jill began. She was cut off as several monsters broke in, coming through the vents, the walls, and the ceiling. Jill gasped as she recognized the horrid creatures. "Hunters!" Jill shouted as the beasts surrounded them. They circled around the group, looking ready to pounce at any moment. It appeared the team was in for another intense fight. But suddenly, something swooped into the room. And before anyone could see it, one of the Hunters was slashed into red mist. "What the hell?!" Spawn said in confusion.

The Hunters took their focus off the group and turned their attention to a silhouette figure in the corner of the room. Snake swore he could hear a small growl coming from the figure. It dashed forward and started slashing the Hunters with what appeared to be claws. Hunters were getting chopped up, the unknown being continued ripping and tearing to its hearts content. Not too long afterwards, the Hunters were eliminated and the room was a complete bloodbath.

Morrigan gasped as she realized what was going on. "It's him! It's the Feral Beast!" Morrigan shouted. The beast turned to them and growled ferociously, clashing his claws together. "Wait a minute...I remember that aggression. I remember that fighting style!" Snake proclaimed. He moved forward towards the beast. "What the hell are you doing, you fool!?" Spawn berated him.

Snake ignored him and stood his ground. "Step out of the shadows!" Snake ordered the Beast. The Beast growled menacingly as he began slowly marching towards him. Spawn aimed his dual AK-47s at the beast, but Snake motioned him to stand down. "Stop it...let me handle this!" Snake hissed. "You're going to get yourself killed, old man!" Spawn snarled. "Wait a minute...is that...who I think it is?!" Morrigan exclaimed.

Finally, the Feral Beast stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself. It was Wolverine! "Oh my God...Logan?!" Jill exclaimed. Spawn grew twice as cautious and stepped forward, aiming his guns at Wolverine. Wolverine snarled at him as if ready to pounce on him, but Snake stepped up and blocked Spawn. "What are you doing?! Get out of my way, old man!" Spawn shouted. "Stand down, Spawn! That's an order...Wolverine is not our enemy! He's our friend, and he needs our help! Just look at him!" Snake said sternly.

Spawn lowered his weapons as he looked closer at Wolverine; he was appalled by the condition the poor mutant was in. He was alive, but had a strange helmet drilled into his skull and many strange tubes sticking out from his chest and reaching into his head. "My God! What has Wesker done to you?" Spawn muttered in disbelief. Morrigan slowly walked up to Wolverine, who surprisingly seemed a bit calmer at the sight of the succubus.

Tears formed in Morrigan's eyes as she saw how much pain and suffering Wolverine was enduring. "You poor thing! How could Wesker do such a cruel thing to you?! Let me help you." Morrigan whispered passionately as she reached out to touch his face. Wolverine grunted as he grabbed Morrigan's arm, stopping her. Morrigan gasped at Wolverine's sudden action, causing the others to become more alert.

But as they looked into his eyes, they could see something they thought they'd never see from Wolverine. They saw fear in his eyes; fear of more excruciating agony and pain from Wesker's evil contraption that was drilled into his body. "Please...help...me!" Wolverine hissed through gritted teeth. Morrigan looked at the others and nodded before she slowly moved her hand to his head.

Wolverine let her arm go and Morrigan was soon holding on to the strange helmet. "My God, what a barbaric torture device! It's drilled into his fucking head!" Morrigan exclaimed. "How in the hell are we supposed to get this thing off?!" Jill cried as she observed the helmet. "Look at the tubes in his chest...they're connected to the helmet somehow. If we can separate the tubes from his chest, we might be able to remove the helmet." Snake said. "But it's drilled tightly into his head!" Morrigan pointed out. "I know...I'm sorry, Logan." Snake said as he looked into his eyes.

Wolverine nodded his head slowly before he spoke again. "Just do what you have to do, but just get this damn thing off of me!" Wolverine growled. Wolverine closed his eyes and braced himself for the hellish pain that was to come. Morrigan took a deep breath before she gently began plucking the tubes out from Wolverine's chest. Wolverine winced and hissed in pain from each tube that was pulled, while strange colored fluids inked out from the tubes.

Spawn watched in anticipation as the fellow Insurgents helped Wolverine. Just by looking at him, Spawn began to have flashbacks of certain events that happened to him in his human form...while trapped and inhumanely tortured by madmen inside of a darkened hellhole somewhere. So needless to say, Spawn knew what it felt like being caged and disgraced like a wild animal.

Eventually, all of the tubes were pulled out of Wolverine's chest. But now the most difficult part was left; trying to find a way to get the helmet off of Wolverine's head. "Well, we made it this far Logan. You're doing great!" Snake encouraged as he wiped his hands clean. Wolverine just grunted as he nodded his head. "Snake...how are we going to remove this thing without hurting him?" Jill whispered. "I don't know...I'm thinking, all right?" Snake replied. "There isn't any other way. You'll have to use force!" Spawn said at last breaking the silence.

Everyone turned to face Spawn, who looked at them with a grim expression. "What are you suggesting?" Morrigan asked. Spawn looked at Wolverine, who glared at him due to his monstrous appearance. "Hold him down; I'll remove that thing from his head." Spawn said as he tossed his guns to the ground. "Spawn, wait!" Snake began. "We don't have any other choice, old man! You want his help, then we're gonna have to do whatever we can to help him first!" Spawn snapped.

Snake looked at him and then back at Wolverine, who began sweating. "All right...I just hope you know what you're doing." Snake said at last. Morrigan touched Wolverine's face gently in a comforting manner. "Wolverine? We're gonna have to get you to lie down, ok? It'll be all right...I promise!" Morrigan cooed. "Like I said...I don't care what you do, just get this fucking thing off my head!" Wolverine growled. Morrigan nodded before she suddenly shoved him to the ground. "Hold him down; this won't take long!" Spawn ordered.

Morrigan, Jill, and Snake held down Wolverine as best as they could while Spawn grabbed hold of the helmet. As Spawn surged Necroplasm into Wolverine's head, Wolverine screamed and howled with pain and anger. "You're doing good, Logan!" Snake shouted over his screams. "Come on, baby...fight the pain. You can do it!" Jill encouraged.

Wolverine suddenly unleashed his claws and bared his teeth like a ferocious animal, though that was to be expected. The pain became quite unbearable for Wolverine, but even he knew there was no other way but to endure. Finally, Spawn removed the helmet from Wolverine's head with his Necroplasm powers. As the helmet was removed, Wolverine began thrashing about. "Hold onto him!" Snake cried. "What do you think we're doing?!" Jill snapped.

Spawn crushed the helmet with his bare hands before he placed his hands on Wolverine's head again. This time, he used his Necroplasm to heal his wounds. "You're all right now. You're free!" Spawn said. Wolverine finally stopped screaming and started to calm down. "You did good, honey. You did very good." Morrigan whispered as she caressed his face. "Let's help him up." Snake said as he began standing him up.

After Wolverine was stood up, Snake began to speak to him. He wanted to know what had happened to him, and wanted to know if they were on the same terms. "Logan? Look at me...how long have you been alive?" Snake asked cautiously. Wolverine stared at him as he said that. "I don't know...I can't remember much at all." Wolverine began. "I don't know any other way to put this, but you were dead. I watched you die!" Snake said sternly. "Snake!" Jill exclaimed. "What are you saying?" Wolverine challenged, growing angry. "Superman crushed your head, Logan! You might have a healing factor, but it's not strong enough to heal wounds that fatal...can you remember anything that Wesker may have done to help bring you back to life?" Snake interrogated.

Wolverine took a deep breath as he tried to remember. "I'm sorry...I can't remember much at all. It's all so blurry! All I can remember as that I woke up in a pod of some sort and Wesker was there with several people in white lab-coats. And then I remember being in pain; so much pain! It was unlike anything I've ever felt before!" Wolverine explained. "Maybe Wesker found what was left of you and somehow put you back together again." Morrigan suggested. "Yeah...yeah, that sounds just about right." Wolverine nodded.

As Snake and the others conversed with Wolverine, Spawn began to grow more alert. "Shit!" Spawn cursed. "What is it, Spawn? You sense something?" Snake said growing worried. Suddenly, the whole place began to shake. "Ah! Is it an earthquake?" Morrigan yelped. A deep, rumbling sound filled the air...a roaring sound, like a monster out of your worst nightmares.

Spawn grew very grim as he somehow recognized that sound. "Sounds like Hell finally sent one its best!" Spawn growled as he reached for his Agony Axe. "Spawn, what is it?" Jill hissed. Suddenly, Fawkes was seen running towards their direction. "Guys?! We should leave right now; it's not safe here!" Fawkes said with an alert tone. "Fawkes? What did you do?!" Snake demanded. "I was just finding a place to take a leak, when suddenly this...this thing woke up!" Fawkes explained nervously.

Snake began to worry greatly; Super Mutants were not creatures to frighten so easily, so whatever scared Fawkes gave Snake good reason to believe that they should start running. "You know the way out of here?" Snake asked Jill. "Yeah, come on. Let's get moving!" Jill began. Suddenly, the same loud roaring noise was heard again before another rumbling took place. "Hey! What's that?!" Morrigan exclaimed as she pointed.

To their shock, hordes of rats were scampering towards them. "AIIEE! Rats?! Why does it always have to be rats?" Morrigan screeched. "They're fleeing! But from what?!" Snake cried. "You guys go...I'll hold this bastard off as long as I can!" Spawn ordered as he drew out his Agony Axe. "Are you insane? We're not going anywhere without you!" Snake snapped. "I'm not asking you, old man! I'm telling you; get the hell out of here now while you still have the chance!" Spawn shouted.

Wolverine shrugged himself out Snake, Morrigan, and Jill's grip before approaching Spawn. "Logan?! What the hell are you doing?" Snake exclaimed. "If it's a fight this thing wants, it's a fight it'll get!" Wolverine growled as he unleashed his claws. "Wolverine, wait!" Morrigan exclaimed. A loud banging noise interrupted their argument, immediately alerting the Insurgents. "What in God's name is it?!" Jill whispered as she held her assault rifle. "God didn't send this thing...Hell did!" Spawn said.

Finally, out of the shadows emerged a monstrous abomination from Hell. It stood towering over the Insurgents at 12 feet tall and wielded a cybernetic arm cannon. He had putrid decaying grayish skin, large goat-like devil horns, piercing yellow eyes, and walked on two goat-like legs. It was a Cyber Demon, and he was pissed off for being awakened by Wolverine's screaming.

The Cyber Demon roared ferociously at the Insurgents, trying to intimidate them. Though they were shocked, neither of the heroes showed any fear. Spawn's eyes glowed bright green with Necroplasm and Wolverine growled ferociously at the beast in challenging manner. "Well, looks like we got ourselves another fight on our hands. You guys ready?" Snake said as he stood his ground. "With you guys? I'll fight to the death!" Fawkes proclaimed as he drew out his Laser Gatling Cannon. "Come on; let's show him what we're made of!" Jill shouted. "Well...if he wants to play rough, then fine by me!" Morrigan sneered. The Cyber Demon roared ferociously again before aiming his arm cannon; an epic battle was about to begin!


	10. Unholy Evil!

**Chapter 10: Unholy Evil!**

* * *

 ***Slayer: Raining Blood plays!***

The Cyber Demon was the first to strike. He fired several missiles out of his arm cannon at the heroes, but they quickly evaded the explosive projectiles. Spawn threw several balls of Necroplasm at the beast, but that only seemed to piss it off. "Damn; this guy is gonna be hard to put down!" Spawn cursed as he jumped away from the Cyber Demon's massive foot attempting to crush him. "Then we'll have to work together to bring him down!" Snake cried as he fired his assault rifle at the Cyber Demon's head.

The bullets did nothing to hurt the Cyber Demon, and the monstrosity roared angrily as he fired more missiles at Snake. Morrigan grabbed Snake and flew them both away to safety at higher ground. "Thanks! Now let's see if we can find a weak spot on this thing, shall we?" Snake said. "No problem, sweetheart. If we can take down that Super Mutant Behemoth, then we can take out this thing for sure!" Morrigan replied with a wink.

Back below, Fawkes screamed as he kept blasting his Laser Gatling Cannon at the Cyber Demon. "YEAAHHH! Take that, you unholy beast of annihilation!" Fawkes screamed. But despite how many times he was blasted, the laser blasts did not injure the Cyber Demon. The Cyber Demon snarled viciously as he aimed his arm cannon at Fawkes, but was caught off guard when Wolverine dashed underneath of him and slashed at his ankles. "Let's go, bub!" Wolverine cried. The Cyber Demon roared as he attempted to stomp Wolverine into the dust, but the agile mutant used his speed to dodge all of his attacks before counter attacking him.

At the same time, Morrigan began attacking the beast from up above. "Taste my Soul Fist, you vile fiend!" Morrigan proclaimed as she flew around in dizzying circles and attacked. The Cyber Demon grew annoyed and attempted to swat Morrigan away. "AH! That was close; we're not getting anywhere, you guys! Anyone have any ideas?" Morrigan cried after barely escaping the Cyber Demon's grasp. "I've got one. HIYA!" Spawn cried as he teleported behind the Cyber Demon and dive-kicked him in the back of the head. The Cyber Demon grunted as he began stumbling forward, giving Wolverine and Fawkes the perfect opportunity to attack him.

Wolverine unleashed his Berserker Barrage attack on the Cyber Demon, while Fawkes blasted away his Laser Gatling Cannon at the Cyber Demon's face. "RAARRRWR! Eat laser, you evil beast! EAT IT!" Fawkes shouted as he kept blasting at him. The Cyber Demon grew furious before he decided to change the tide of the battle to his favor. He began surging with evil energy before he began shooting a barrage of missiles out of his back. "Shit! Get to cover, quickly!" Snake cursed as he dove behind a rock.

The missiles exploded all around the place creating mass chaos. As the smoke started to settle, the Cyber Demon began to scan the area in search of survivors. He snarled menacingly as he suddenly began transforming his arm cannon into a massive flamethrower. The Cyber Demon then began scorching the entire area in a sea of flames. "My God...it's trying to flush us out; it knows we're hiding!" Snake muttered. "GAH! Look out; he's gonna scorch us!" Jill exclaimed. "Get down!" Spawn cried as he jumped towards the group. Luckily, Spawn was able to use his cape to shield everyone from the flames. "Oh, fuck...this must be one of Wesker's upgraded Cyber Demons!" Spawn cursed. "How are we going to beat this thing? It's smarter and stronger than normal Cyber Demons!" Morrigan cried. "It appears our enemy is a lot smarter and stronger than he looks; we'll have to use our own wits if we're to defeat him!" Fawkes stated.

The Cyber Demon growled as he turned his cybernetic arm into a giant plasma cannon and began blasting away at the surrounding area. "At this rate, there won't be any place left to hide! There has to be a weak spot on him somewhere, but where?" Snake said. "By the time you idiots figure out his weakness, we'll be dead! So come up with a plan fast!" Wolverine snapped.

Spawn poked his head out and used Necro-Vision to scope out a weak spot on the Cyber Demon. He finally managed to get a good look at the monster when he stood still, changing his cybernetic arm into a flaming chainsaw. "I see it; there's a glowing orb on his chest. It looks like a power generator of some kind. If we can destroy that thing-" Spawn began. "Then we can shut down this monster for good! All right; I want all of you to move fast and keep that monster distracted while I get close enough to disable that thing. On my go...3...2...1...GO!" Snake ordered.

Snake began sprinting towards the Cyber Demon, while Spawn and the others provided cover fire. "HEY! Over here, you stupid hunk of cheap hardware!" Wolverine shouted. "Come and get me, big boy!" Morrigan teased as she began flying around. The Cyber Demon roared furiously as he attempted to chop his enemies down with his chainsaw arm.

As the others provided the distraction, Snake was able to find a spot to get a good shot at the Cyber Demon's weak point. After taking good aim with the scope of his assault rifle, Snake waited for the perfect moment to strike. "Come on, you son of a bitch...hold still!" Snake cursed. Spawn used his chains to grab onto the Cyber Demon's head and yanked him down. "Where ya going?!" Spawn taunted. "YAAA! Take this, monster!" Fawkes shouted as he blasted his Gatling Laser Cannon at the monster's face.

The Cyber Demon reared his head back and roared as he spread out his arms, shaking his head in fury and frustration. Finally, Snake had a good chance to shoot him. "Gotcha now, you bastard!" Snake sneered before he opened fire. Several shots went off and the Cyber Demon's eyes widened as he felt his weak point get hit. An electric current surged throughout his body and appeared to paralyze the beast, causing him to keelhaul over on its knees. "NOW SPAWN! FINISH IT OFF!" Snake shouted.

Spawn cried out fiercely as he ran up the Cyber Demon's massive cybernetic arm and leapt up into the air before ramming his Agony Axe into the Cyber Demon's head, spilling its blood all over the place. The Cyber Demon screeched in howling agony as the axe tore through its skull, but shockingly it wasn't enough to kill it. All they managed to do was injure it. "Just...fucking...die...you ugly...piece of shit!" Spawn snarled as he kept hacking his Agony Axe into the beast's skull.

The Cyber Demon finally seemed to lose strength as Spawn delivered a finishing blow to its head, causing it to stumble backward and laid flat on its back. Spawn jumped back from the Cyber Demon and unleashed a huge streak of Necroplasm on the beast, hoping to finish it off. Spawn landed back on his feet next to his friends.

 ***Song ends!***

As Spawn stood there panting furiously to catch his breath, Morrigan approached him and began to massage his shoulders. "Hey...you did pretty good back there, hon." Morrigan said sweetly. "Um, thanks...you too." Spawn muttered with a raised eyebrow. "Is it dead?" Fawkes asked hopefully. "I think so...it's not moving, so that's a good sign." Jill said. "Well, nonetheless...we should get going before anything else happens." Snake announced as he approached his group. "All right, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Wolverine snapped. "Wait...you trust us enough to follow us?" Snake questioned.

Wolverine looked at him funny as he said that. "You helped me get that damn thing off my head, didn't you? You have any fucking idea how long I've been in pain because of what Wesker did to me?!" Wolverine growled. "Easy! I didn't mean to offend you...I'm just want to know if you trust us, that's all." Snake said calmly. Wolverine couldn't help but smirk at him. "There's only one thing that I want right now, and that's Wesker's fucking head...and if you guys got the balls to stand up against one of his toughest monsters, then I'd be glad to walk barefoot in Hell with you just to have the chance to give Wesker what he deserves!" Wolverine replied.

Snake smiled a little as he said that. "Good! That's what I like to hear. Glad to have you back, Logan." Snake said. "Yeah, you too!" Wolverine replied. "Let's go!" Spawn urged. "All right, kid...hold your horses." Snake joked. But as he said that, a loud groan was heard. "Fuck no!" Snake muttered with wide eyes. Everyone turned slowly around as the groaning and growling grew louder and angrier.

Suddenly, to their horror, the Cyber Demon rose up to his feet! He glared at the heroes and roared furiously as he shook his head; he was weakened, but not out! "Oh, come the fuck on! What does it take to put this thing down?!" Spawn cursed. "Everyone stand together; we can do this! He's weakened, so we have a better chance of beating him if we combine our attacks together!" Snake encouraged. "I'm ok with that! The more pain, the more gain!" Fawkes boasted.

The Cyber Demon began charging towards the heroes to attack, but they showed no fear. Fawkes unleashed a barrage of laser blasts while Morrigan unleashed her Finishing Shower attack. The Cyber Demon grunted as he was hit, but refused to go down. He swatted his arm at them, but they dodged his attack before continuing their assault. Spawn grabbed a pair of assault rifles and blasted away at the Cyber Demon's head, this time causing the creature to roar in pain. "It's working; keep going!" Spawn shouted as he blasted the monster full of lead.

After several more minutes of nonstop violence, the Cyber Demon finally showed signs of slowing down. Snake saw this as an opportunity to land a critical attack. He had one in mind, but it was a risky one. He unsheathed Gray Fox's HF Blade. "What are you planning to do with that?" Spawn asked. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Snake said and began charging at the Cyber Demon. He got close, and the Cyber Demon swung his chainsaw down at Snake. Snake blocked it, as the High Frequency modification to the sword made it stable enough to block even the mightiest of blows.

The Cyber Demon went for another swing, but Snake rolled to the side and dodged, the Demon's chainsaw hitting the ground. Snake found his opening, and plunged the sword right into the Demon's chest. He growled in pain as he fell to his knees again, exposing yet another chance to finish him off. "Time to send you back to Hell where you belong!" Spawn proclaimed as he approached the monster. This time, Spawn grabbed hold of the Cyber Demon by one of his horns. With a mighty cry of vengeance, Spawn tore out the horn and rammed it deep into the monster's head, killing it. And just for good measure, Snake pulled out a shotgun and pressed it up to the Demon's head, pulled the trigger and blew it to pieces.

Finally, the Cyber Demon fell back dead and remained motionless until it suddenly began withering away and disappeared completely. "YAY! We finally did it, you guys! We beat him!" Morrigan cheered. "YEAH! Nobody can defeat us; nobody!" Fawkes cried out as he held his fist in the air. "Nice work, you guys. Now come on; let's get the hell outta here!" Snake congratulated. "Yeah, come on. I know a safe place where we can lay low for a while." Jill announced.

But as they left, they were completely unaware that a security camera watched the battle this entire fucking time! Albert Wesker chuckled sinisterly as he rubbed his chin. "Surprising! They're a lot stronger than I imagined. I guess even my most advanced foot soldiers are no match against these self-proclaimed heroes. I think it's time that I brought out the big guns. Let's see how you fare against...a real man of steel!" Wesker said with an evil laugh.

He whipped out his cellphone and dialed a number before speaking to someone. "How is he? Is he ready for combat?" Wesker asked. "Yes...he's ready all right. He's been rearing to get a rematch with Spawnie-boy. How soon do you want him?" a demonic sneering voice replied. "Immediately!" Wesker demanded. "You got it, boss! I think our friends are just going to love what we've done with our new and improved toy!" the voice said. "He's not a toy...he's my Superman! Cyborg Superman, to be precise!" Wesker sneered with an evil laugh.


	11. Legion of Caesar!

**Chapter 11: Legion of Caesar!**

* * *

Jill took her comrades on a 6 hour trek through the desert wasteland until they finally reached a hill that overlooked a valley below. There were a couple of large tents sitting on top of the hill as well. "Well, here it is! Fawkes and I found these tents awhile ago during our travels, so we made ourselves at home here." Jill announced. "Boy, you guys sure are lucky!" Snake smirked. "This place has been abandoned for quite some time, my friends. Whoever lived here sure knew how to live!" Fawkes said as he opened up a tent flap and let them inside.

Inside of the tent was several crates full of medical supplies and food, as well as a work bench to construct weapons and gear. "Well, you sure are right Fawkes. These people sure do know how to live. It's kind of primitive, but who am I to complain?" Wolverine said as he observed the work bench. "I wonder who lived here?" Morrigan wondered as she laid down on a mattress. "Looks like these tents belonged to a group of soldiers." Spawn observed as he caught sight of a strange flag on the wall. "Yeah, that flag is pretty weird all right. I mean, has anyone ever seen a two-headed bear before?" Jill joked.

Snake approached the flag and looked at it with curiosity. He could not help but recognize the flag somehow. "Hey, what's wrong Snake?" Jill asked as she approached him with a can of beans. "NCR? Why does that sound so familiar?" Snake pondered. "I have been trying to figure out what that stands for, but I can't seem to quite get it right. It could mean anything!" Jill pointed out. Snake took the can of beans from Jill before he sat on a mattress and began eating. "How long have you two been staying here?" Snake asked with his mouthful. "Um, about a couple of weeks. Why?" Jill replied as she took a sip from a water bottle.

Snake sighed as he threw the can in a trash can. "This place is abandoned all right, but it looks like it's been abandoned recently. You think something might have happened to cause these supposed soldiers to leave in such a rush? I mean, now that I think about it...these place seems way too organized to be left like this." Snake said cautiously. Everyone else nodded in agreement. "When you put it like that, you're right. Something must have happened!" Spawn said. "Well, it's not our problem now. Right now, we need to focus on finding Wesker!" Wolverine grumbled as he finished scarfing down some stashed junk food.

Snake sighed as he shrugged it off. "You're right. Maybe I'm just being paranoid...but you never know what will happen out here. Oh, well. Let's try to get some sleep! We'll leave first thing in the morning." Snake announced as he laid down to rest. Everyone else except Spawn laid down to sleep, for they were tired from their constant traveling. "Hey, Spawn? Aren't you tired? Why don't you come over here with me and rest?" Morrigan offered with a seductive grin. "I'm not tired. Just go to sleep; I'll keep watch." Spawn replied sharply. "Fine...your loss!" Morrigan yawned before she went to sleep.

A few hours later, Spawn woke up Snake. "Wake up, old man...you need to see this!" Spawn whispered fiercely. "What's wrong? Is there trouble?" Snake replied with worry. "Don't wake the others just yet; I don't want to upset them." Spawn said carefully. This caused Snake to become even more worried; Spawn must have found something, and if it was this serious enough that he didn't want the others to know about, then Snake knew that something was definitely wrong. "All right, show me." Snake whispered.

Spawn led Snake out of the tent and over towards the edge of the hill. "Yeah, I know the view is nice but-" Snake joked. "Shut up! Get down and look over there, right at that town below...see that smoke?" Spawn snapped as he pointed. Snake raised his eyebrows before he took out some binoculars and crouched down. Maybe they were too tired to notice it before, but there was indeed a town below in the valley.

But as Snake looked through his binoculars, he noticed that there was thick black smoke coming from the town center, along with many fires throughout the rest of the town. "When did this happen?!" Snake exclaimed. "I don't know, but it looks recent. It might be raiders, or even Wesker's forces. What do you think we should do?" Spawn suggested.

Snake put away his binoculars before he stood back up. "I'll get the others; you stay here and let me know if anything else happens. Good eye, kid!" Snake replied before he began rushing towards the tent where everyone else slept. Snake then woke up the others, despite them trying to resist. "Hey, come on. Wake up!" Snake said as he shook Morrigan. "Grr...I don't want to get up now; five more minutes!" Morrigan complained. "Morrigan, get up!" Snake snapped as he practically pulled her out of bed. "AAAIIEE! I'm awake, damn it! What gives?!" Morrigan whined. "Come on you guys, get up!" Snake urged. "What's all the fuss about, Snake? You have any idea what time it is?" Jill grumbled. "We've got trouble in the valley below!" Snake replied. "Trouble, huh? Well what are we waiting for?!" Wolverine growled as he got up.

Soon enough, everyone joined back with Spawn. "Anything happen?" Snake asked. "No... it's too quiet. Something doesn't feel right about this!" Spawn replied with worry. "My God! What happened down there?!" Morrigan exclaimed now more wide awake. "I don't know, but we're about to find out. Come on!" Snake said gravely. Snake and Spawn led the way, while the others followed behind. "I've got a bad feeling about this!" Fawkes said out loud. "You said it!" Jill remarked. "Everyone be quiet! We don't know if there are still enemies around, so don't give our position away!" Snake ordered.

5 minutes later, everyone slowly arrived at the town...or whatever was left of it. To their horror, the entire place had been burned to the ground. But if that wasn't enough, there were piles of burning and rotting corpses strewn all around the place. But perhaps the most shocking thing of all were the crucified men and women that were left hanging to die, some of them barely still alive. "Oh my God! Snake...what the hell happened here?!" Jill gasped. "My God...this is awful! Who did all of this?!" Morrigan wept. "I have no clue...but they will answer for this!" Snake growled.

Spawn grew very grim and upset as the horrific imagery began to give him flashbacks of some rather unpleasant things he did as a young and angry mercenary/soldier. "Look at them; they're in suffering." Spawn said with a dismal tone. The crucified people groaned weakly as they looked down on the strange visitors. They knew that they couldn't be saved, for if they were to be removed from the cross, they would die. "Help...me...please!" a man croaked. Morrigan attempted to free him from the cross, but Snake stopped her, shaking his head. "It's too late. He'll die as soon as we release him from that cross." Snake sighed sadly. "Well, what can we do?" Morrigan sobbed. "The very least we can do is ease his suffering." Snake said and put a suppressor on his pistol. He pressed the barrel against the man's head. "Thank you." The man muttered weakly. "I'm sorry." Snake said before putting the man out of his misery. "It makes me sad to see such vile things, friends." Fawkes said sadly.

Morrigan could not help but cry as she looked at the suffering souls, though Snake felt pure anger towards those who caused all of this. Suddenly, a low growling noise was heard. Snake gasped as he turned to find a rather large and nasty looking dog facing him, snarling viciously as it bared its teeth. Snake pulled out his SOCOM .45 pistol and aimed at the dog, when suddenly something emerged from the ground and pointed a sharp spear at his neck. "Touch the trigger and I shall plunge this spear into your throat!" a voice rasped. "Dammit!" Snake growled as he threw down his weapon. "Snake, what's wrong?" Jill began before several more spears were pointed at her.

Everyone braced themselves for attack, but had no time to react before they found themselves surrounded by their surprise attackers. These men were wearing strange armor and were armed with spears and hunting rifles. Their armor resembled ancient Roman Soldiers, due to the crimson red on the armor itself and the strange iron helmets they wore on their heads. "Who the hell are you people?! And are you responsible for this?" Snake shouted. "Mind your tone...for the mighty Legion of Caesar does not tolerate disrespect!" a cold voice thundered.

Snake and the others looked to see who was approaching them; it was the apparent leader of these strange warriors. Unlike the others, this man wore a wolf's pelt on his head and donned a red kilt and iron breastplate. His eyes were shining bright and fierce, and his face was pale white and stern with bitter coldness. "Who are you?!" Spawn demanded. The leader of the Roman-like warriors let out a small laugh. "I am Vulpes Inculta; second in command of the Legion of Caesar. And might I say, that it is truly an honor to be in your presence...Spawn!" the man said.

Spawn's eyes widened as he said that, and the others were just as shocked. "How the hell do you know who I am?!" Spawn exclaimed. "I've been watching you for quite some time, now. And I am deeply impressed with your methods of enforcing justice. I dare even say that you have inspired me and my boys here...as you can quite clearly see here in this fine town, or what's left of it anyways." Vulpes sneered. "You call this justice?!" Snake snarled. "Look at what you've done to these poor innocent people! What kind of monsters are you?!" Morrigan shouted.

Vulpes burst out laughing. "Innocent?! You dare think that these vile, miserable imbeciles are innocent? Perhaps you do not fully understand us, so allow me to properly introduce our ways to your feeble minds. We, the Legion of Caesar, live for one purpose and one purpose only: the will of the Great Caesar himself! If he deems a culture undesirable, then it is our duty to wipe it off the face of the earth. Our great and mighty Caesar demands honor and respect, and those who dare oppose him will suffer a fate far worse than any sort of pain and suffering imaginable!" Vulpes explained.

Spawn glared furiously at Vulpes. "So that makes it ok to slaughter innocent civilians?" Spawn growled. Vulpes scoffed at him as he said that. "Oh, come now Spawn! You of all people should know that these...sub-human specimens are not innocent. But I can see that you're confused, and quite frankly who can blame you after being brainwashed by these fools and their stupidity?" Vulpes sneered referring to Snake and the others.

Snake and the others grew angrier as Vulpes continued to speak. "You're calling him brainwashed? That's rich coming from some kids in costumes following the orders of a guy who names himself after a Roman emperor." Snake growled. "Silence!" a legionnaire snapped as he poked his spear at Snake. "I'll tell you everything you want to know...starting with why we ravished this rotting cesspool of a town. You see, this land suffered great losses under Wesker's little regime, and the Caesar had no choice but to flee and seek shelter out here in the Wastes. Wesker had good vision of bringing law and order into this land, but he betrayed the Caesar by sending out his troops in an attempt to assassinate him and claim his kingdom as his own." Vulpes began.

Spawn began to understand a little bit more of what was going on. "And by kingdom, you mean the rich part of the city of Empire Plaza?" Spawn said. "Yes, precisely! While we thrived in that kingdom, the Caesar was fair to his subjects. But once Wesker became too comfortable in his own position, he sought to take everything for himself. Those who do wrong against Caesar do wrong against the whole Legion!" Vulpes continued. "You people were idiots to trust Wesker!" Jill insulted. "Well, it does seem fitting that someone who calls himself Caesar ends up getting betrayed." Snake said half-jokingly. "Quiet! One more outburst and you'll be the next ones we crucify!" a Legion member snarled.

Spawn glared intensely at Vulpes, but the cocky man showed no fear. "You still haven't answered why you destroyed this place!" Spawn snarled. Vulpes chuckled at Spawn. "I'm getting there, Spawn. Patience! Anyway, Caesar came here to lay low for a while, as did we. However, despite how generous these people were with sheltering us, they too betrayed us. They put their loyalty towards a group of gangbanging, drug dealing mercenaries rather than the Caesar himself, who by the way gave more than enough protection to this place. And so, we had no choice but to make an example out of these people...so that all who dare venture through here know the drastic consequences of betraying our Caesar!" Vulpes went on.

Spawn and the others didn't like the sound of this, even though they knew that the Legion had good reasons for doing this. "But you didn't just stop at killing men, did you? You went out of your way to kill everyone!" Spawn said grimly. "Exactly! Nobody was free from sin in this place. It was a filthy den of whores, liars, and cheaters to begin with...but we tried to be fair. And look at what's happened! One by one, we dragged them out of their homes. One by one, we tried each of them and named their sins and crimes against the Caesar. And one by one, we executed them...slowly. Bit by bit! And now, you witness before you the glory and purity of the Caesar's will...and that is where you come in, Spawn!" Vulpes explained.

Spawn grew very grim as Vulpes approached him. "We were very impressed by how quick and merciless you were with the fiends and fools who spread their filth across these lands. What you did to those raiders and slave drivers up North, that is to be admired. The Caesar himself has ordered me to deliver you to him, so that you can help him find Wesker, kill him, and bring back order to this Wasteland! Think of all the honor you will gain for Caesar when you join us...think of the greater purpose you will serve under the banner of Caesar. Our very children admire you and adore you...and our soldiers wish to be you. Join us, Spawn...and together we can destroy Wesker! We can save this wretched wasteland and rule in peace! You can finally find your true purpose!" Vulpes said with great passion in his voice.

Spawn didn't know what to say at first; all this time, he wanted to know what his true purpose was. Despite how cruel and violent they were, this Legion seemed to have good intentions. But Spawn looked to his friends, who had looks of anger and sadness on their faces. "But my friends...what will become of them?" Spawn asked. "Forget about them! They're too blind to see the truth and they're too softhearted and weak to understand the will of the Caesar! They flinch at the sight of our purity and justice, but you do not! You're perfect for us; we need you!" Vulpes insisted. "For how long? Until he's no longer useful to you and you toss him out like trash?! You idiots will probably end up doing the same to your precious Caesar. After all, history tends to repeat itself." Snake shouted as he stepped towards Vulpes.

However, several of the legionnaires stopped him and constrained him before he could reach Vulpes. "Think about it, Spawn. Do you really think you have any chance of finding Wesker with these fools? They're slowing you down, keeping you away from your real purpose. Isn't that what you've always wanted? To find your purpose in life?" Vulpes pressed.

Spawn took a deep breath before he spoke again. "I'm going to wear your fucking head like you wear that dog's!" Spawn snarled viciously. Vulpes' eyes widened as he said that, terrified of Spawn's sudden aggression. "Legionaries?! We have a problem!" he shouted. But before anyone else could make a move, Spawn threw a ball of Necroplasm at Vulpes.

Vulpes screamed as he was forced back explosively into a ruined building, allowing the other heroes enough time to retaliate against the shocked legionnaires. "NOW!" Snake shouted as he broke free of a couple of legionnaire's grip. Spawn kicked Snake's SOCOM over to him. Snake rolled and grabbed it and then gunned down several Legion members. While Spawn rushed towards the greatly injured Vulpes, Snake and the others killed the Legion and their war dogs. Wolverine cut several Legion members to pieces with his claws. A few Legion members tried to stab their spears into Fawkes, but he grabbed them right out of their hands and stabbed them.

Eventually, Vulpes was the only one left and Spawn dragged him towards the center of town. "It's time I made you answer for your crimes, fool!" Spawn snarled. "You stupid, blinded, arrogant miscreant! The Caesar will have your head for this. You hear me?! You'll suffer a fate far worse than death for your betrayal! Nobody betrays the Legion and lives; NO ONE!" Vulpes shouted even though he was dragged away by Spawn. "First things first; I'm already dead! And second; I just fucking did...and your little Caesar will be next!" Spawn snarled before he threw Vulpes into a roaring fire.

Spawn walked away and ignored the screaming howls of agony that came from Vulpes as he was slowly burned to death. "Let's go! We haven't got time to waste; we need to find Wesker and fast!" Spawn announced. "But what about Batman?" Morrigan wondered. "To hell with Batman; Wesker is my main priority now!" Spawn shouted. "Spawn, I know you're upset...but you're not thinking clearly!" Snake began.

Suddenly, Spawn grabbed Snake and pinned him to a wall. "I am thinking clearly, old man! For the first time in a lifetime I am thinking clearly! Don't you see? If we don't stop Wesker now, who knows what other kinds of men will want to follow his example?! The whole fucking world will be in flaming ruins just like this town! Wesker has to die, along with everyone else who follows or agrees with his madness!" Spawn shouted. "I know that! But we're not going to be able to find Wesker unless we know where he is, and right now there's only one man who knows where he is; Batman! You've gotten this far with me, so don't quit on me now...please! If not for me, then do it for the sake of those who fell victim to all of this! For the sake of the fallen, we must carry on!" Snake said, referring to the town destroyed by Caesar's Legion.

Spawn finally seemed to calm down before he let go of Snake. "You're right...I'm...sorry, I-" Spawn began. "It's all right! Look, I know you want Wesker dead. I want him dead too; we all do! In fact, you're right...anyone who serves Wesker deserves to die. But we won't be able to stop them if we don't work together, all right?! Now come on, let's get out of here before more of these Legion freaks show up!" Snake said. "But where do we go now? We have no clue where the others are!" Spawn demanded. "I think I might be able to help out with that!" a gruff voice announced.

Spawn and the others turned around sharply to face Rorschach approaching them. "You!?" Spawn exclaimed. "Well, nice to see you finally joined us! Where the hell have you been?!" Snake demanded. "We'll talk later! But right now, we gotta move! Follow me!" Rorschach replied. "Can we even trust him?" Jill demanded. "What choice have we got? Come on!" Morrigan replied. And soon enough, they were all off and followed Rorschach into an underground tunnel.


	12. Blueprints of Disaster!

**Chapter 12: Blueprints of Disaster!**

* * *

Rorschach eventually led the group to his underground hideout, which was an abandoned military bunker of some sort. "Well, it looks like you've been busy all right!" Snake commented. "Check out the insignia on the wall; it belonged to a group called the Brotherhood of Steel. Ring any bells?" Rorschach pointed out. "Hey, I've heard of those guys. They're the good guys...I think!" Fawkes announced. The others turned to face him with confusion on their faces. "You mean you actually met them before?" Jill asked. "Uh, no... I've never met with them in person before. But I have read about them on my computer terminal when I was imprisoned. They did a lot of good things for the Wasteland, such as making a water purifier and even saving several towns from another group called the Enclave." Fawkes explained. "Really?" Morrigan asked with curiosity. "Yeah, but that was a long time ago, I'm afraid. By the looks of things today, they're either long gone...or they're in hiding somewhere." Fawkes explained.

The others nodded their heads before they approached a room full of beds and a computer terminal. There was even a small kitchen and a bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink. "The water only comes in cold, and the computer terminal doesn't work anymore...believe me, I've tried getting that damn thing back up." Rorschach announced. "Hey, I might be able to help you reboot that computer system up! My computer used to be the exact same model; I'm gonna need some Wonder Glue and some duct-tape...and I might need a wrench!" Fawkes said. "Be my guest!" Rorschach said before he approached the fridge. As he opened it up, he handed Wolverine a bottle of Nuka-Cola. "What is this?" Wolverine asked. "I don't know, but it sure tastes good. It ain't exactly your average type of soda or beer, but it'll do...there's plenty of it!" Rorschach replied.

Wolverine shrugged before he tore off the cap and gulped down the cola; it was delicious. "Kind of funny, isn't it?" Snake began. "What is?" Spawn asked. "How our little camping tents looked like they've been abandoned for only a couple of weeks, but that this place looks like it's been abandoned for years." Snake explained. "Well, as long as the water is still running...I'm going to take a shower!" Morrigan said as she sauntered over towards the bathroom. "Hey, wait a minute...what if I wanted to take a shower?!" Jill complained. "Oh! Well, I guess we could take a shower together...if you want!" Morrigan giggled with a pervy grin.

Jill blushed in embarrassment before she back away. "Hell no! I'll wait...just don't take too long!" Jill snapped. "Ok, fine...but you don't know what you're missing!" Morrigan teased as she walked away with a sassy sway of her hips. As Morrigan stripped herself nude and got into the shower, Jill approached the kitchen and tried to find food to ease her mind. Snake chuckled as he approached her with some mac n' cheese. "You all right, Jill?" Snake chuckled. "No; Morrigan's driving me nuts!" Jill complained. "Don't worry about her; she's a tease." Snake said as he sipped some Nuka-Cola. "Yeah, I know she's a succubus...but that doesn't mean she has to act like a slut all the time!" Jill grumbled as she began eating. "Hey! Don't be that way; she can't help herself, you know. In fact; I'll even admit she's starting to impress me!" Spawn snapped as he overheard them.

This made Snake and Jill smile. "Really?" Snake questioned. "In what way?" Jill chimed in. "She's a good fighter, for one thing. And she was very close to Reika...now that I think about it, she kind of reminds me of her a lot." Spawn admitted as he sat down on a chair. "Well, that's good to know." Snake began before a loud shriek filled the air. "What's that?!" Wolverine exclaimed as he dropped his food. "AAIIIEEE! THERE'S A GIANT FUCKING COCKROACH IN HERE!" Morrigan screeched as she ran out of the bathroom naked. "Hrm...Rad-Roaches; don't worry, they don't bite. They're just really big and annoying!" Rorschach explained as he handed Morrigan a towel. "Why didn't you fucking tell me that!" Morrigan snapped as she covered herself. "You never asked." Rorschach replied.

Spawn and the others couldn't help but laugh at her misfortune. "Stop it! It's not funny; I hate cockroaches!" Morrigan whined. "Oh, don't worry...I'm sure Spawn will protect you from those big bad cockroaches!" Snake joked as he looked at Spawn. Spawn glared at him before Morrigan approached him and sat on his lap, much to his surprise. Jill couldn't help contain her giggling at this sight. "Aww, you two look so cute together!" Jill cooed. Spawn wanted to say something mean, but an exchanged look from Snake changed his mind. "I guess we do...but you're still not having me!" Spawn grumbled. "I can live with that!" Morrigan purred as she buried her face in his chest.

Suddenly, Fawkes came running into the room with excitement all over his face. "Hey, you guys! I did it; I fixed the computer terminal!" Fawkes shouted. "All right, Fawkes! Good job!" Jill congratulated. "Well, let's go take a look." Snake said after finishing his meal of canned ham. As the heroes approached the terminal, the computer screen shined a dim light. It was very old, but at least it was working. "It looks like a couple of journal entries. Why don't you pull them up and let's see what they say?" Snake suggested. "I was just about to suggest that, my friend. Now let's see...hey, it's says something about a giant robot of some sort." Fawkes said.

Snake read the journal entry and was a bit shocked to see what it had said. " _Day 1 of Project Ressurrection; After barely surviving that strange nuclear blast, we lack the materials needed in order to reconstruct Liberty Prime. We've lost so much during the battle against the Enclave, but after this freak nuclear accident (or is it?) we've suffered a SEVERE blow to our defenses. Liberty Prime must be saved at all costs! The Brotherhood of Steel's very existence depends on it!_ " the journal entry read.

Snake was beginning to think that this strange nuclear explosion was referring to Razor's nuke attack on Empire Plaza. "I'll be damned...there's been a giant robot and a secret army of some sort underneath of us this whole time?!" Snake exclaimed. "Well, what else does it say?" Morrigan pressed. "Yeah, don't keep us waiting!" Wolverine growled. "All right, all right!" Snake snapped. " _Day 12 of Project Ressurrection; we are nearly complete with the reconstruction of Liberty Prime. But there's just one major thing holding us back...a very important piece to Prime's main controls has gone missing! Either someone was stupid enough to have misplaced the damn thing, or someone has stolen it. Either way, the Brotherhood of Steel will not stop or rest until Liberty Prime has been 100% restored._ " the journal entry read.

Snake rubbed his chin. "I think I'm already beginning to know the answer to their question." Snake said out loud. "And what question is that?" Spawn demanded. "Who stopped this project?" Snake stated. " _Day 24 of Project Ressurrection; it's finally here! The day we've all been waiting for has finally arrived; Liberty Prime is back! With that new energy power source graciously provided by Albert Wesker, our enemies will finally know never to trifle with the forces of the Brotherhood of Steel._ " the journal entry read. "Dammit! I knew it!" Snake groaned. "What? What's wrong?" Jill asked.

Snake grew grim as he read the last journal entry, this time written directly by Albert Wesker himself. " _It is done. The creation of my new army is underway. With the power of Hell itself under my control, no one can stop me. Such a shame that the Brotherhood of Steel will not be able to witness my triumph over my enemies...oh well. Their efforts to bring my own experiments to life will not have been in vain. Their help is much appreciated, and I will make damn sure that I put all of their technology to good use...if my precious Cyber-Demons haven't destroyed it all yet, that is!_ " the journal entry read.

Snake groaned as he stood up from his seat. "Damn! Wesker is more steps ahead of us than I thought!" Snake cursed. "What's wrong?" Morrigan asked. "Not only is he the one responsible for creating these monsters, but he's also the one who's singlehandedly destroyed this so called Brotherhood!" Snake said with deep anger in his voice. "Of course he is, the bastard! Did it say anything about where he is or what he's going to do next?" Jill asked. "No... nothing at all! I feel like we're going around in circles, here! What did we miss?!" Snake cried.

Rorschach grumbled to himself before he approached a desk. "I did manage to find these." Rorschach said as he handed Snake a folder filled with blueprints. "What are they?" Snake asked as he looked at them. "They're blueprints to his evil monsters he's creating. I found these while I was scouting around in search for Batman; they were in Wesker's office!" Rorschach explained. "Wait...you mean you actually found out where Wesker was hiding?! Well why the fuck didn't you come to us sooner?!" Jill shouted angrily. "Easy! There were some complications along the way. First of all, it was a bitch trying to sneak away with these things...especially since I'm not the only one after these!" Rorschach snapped.

Snake looked very worried as he said that. "Well, who else could possibly want those blueprints?!" Snake demanded. "You'd be surprised to know that quite a few people want these things, but for very different reasons. Some group called the NCR wants these blueprints so that they can use the technology to strengthen their own weapons. Another group called Caesar's Legion wants these blueprints so that they can destroy the damn things, but I don't trust them after what they've been doing to all those villages and slums lately. And then there's the Enclave, who wants to use the Cyber-Demons for their own purposes." Rorschach explained grimly.

Everyone was exasperated to hear all of this; everything that was going wrong was happening, and it seemed to be too much going on in so little time. "Wesker's going to create a fucking war over these damn things! We can't let that happen! The people of the Wasteland don't need to go through another war!" Snake snapped. "I know; I don't like this anymore than you guys do...and neither do the Avengers or the Justice League. There's one person I know who can help us figure out what to do with these blueprints, and he's missing! And to make matters worse, the supposed heroes won't stop fighting amongst themselves and work together to solve this problem." Rorschach said gravely.

Snake rubbed his temples before he took a deep breath. "Ok, so tell me...do you know where Batman is?" Snake began. "No, I do not know. But I do know that if we let anyone else get a hold of these blueprints, we're done for!" Rorschach answered. "Well, what choice do we have? We better hold onto them!" Snake sighed. Suddenly, a strange rumbling noise was heard. "What was that?" Morrigan exclaimed. "It's coming from up above us!" Wolverine pointed out. "Damn it! Were you guys followed?!" Rorschach growled. "No! At least...I don't think we were!" Jill snapped.

The rumbling noise grew louder until it stopped, only to be replaced by sounds of screams, roars, and explosions. "That can't be good!" Morrigan quipped. "Quickly; follow me! I know a secret way out of here!" Rorschach announced as he began running. "Here we go again!" Spawn grumbled. "Nothing gained, nothing ventured!" Snake reminded with a wry grin.

Rorschach led the group out of the bunker through a secret underground tunnel before they wound up in the wasteland again. As they all exited the place, they turned around to find the gruesome carnage of what appeared to be quite a short battle between Enclave forces and something else. "Well, looks like these guys didn't stand a chance!" Snake joked. "I'd feel bad for them, but I do not!" Fawkes added. "Hey...what's that over there?" Wolverine pointed out. Everyone looked over to see a large green Behemoth smashing up an Enclave Tank with his fists. "HULK SMASH METAL MAN'S TOYS!" the brute shouted. "It's the Hulk!" Morrigan exclaimed with joy. "Careful, Morrigan...he might not be in such a good mood to talk right now!" Snake warned.

Snake was right; the Hulk looked really angry as he tore the Enclave Tank apart, roaring and snarling viciously as he did so. That's when Spawn noticed something was wrong with the Hulk. "It looks like he's been captured and he's just escaped!" Spawn observed. "Well if that's the case, we should probably avoid contact with him until he calms down." Snake suggested. The Hulk screamed with fury before he began running to the hills. "Where's he going?" Jill asked. "We should follow him to find out!" Wolverine said as he began running. "There's no way we can keep up with him!" Spawn stated. "We may not have to keep up with him...he'll leave us a bread crumb trail. Or in his case, a debris trail!" Snake replied.

For about an hour, the heroes followed the Hulk, who graciously left behind a trail of destruction. Eventually, they all reached towards where the Hulk was running to; the Enclave Headquarters! "Well, we made it this far...now what?!" Spawn snapped. "We wait until it gets dark." Rorschach began. Suddenly, the sounds of explosions, screams, and sirens filled the air. The Hulk began rampaging through the Enclave HQ, smashing and crashing through everything. "Or, we use the Hulk's destructive rampage as a distraction and sneak in there unnoticed." Snake said before he slid down the hill. "Of course, because why not?" Rorschach grumbled. "Come on; let's go while we still have the chance!" Jill urged.

As the Hulk continued to brawl against the Enclave soldiers, Snake and the gang snuck into the base undetected.


	13. Chaos at the Enclave HQ!

**Chapter 13: Chaos at the Enclave HQ!**

* * *

Snake and his group were able to sneak into the Enclave HQ while the Hulk continued his violent rampage. "Do you think Batman will be in here somewhere?" Morrigan asked Snake. "I don't know, but let's try to stay focused shall we?" Snake replied. "What exactly are we even looking for anyway?" Wolverine snapped. "The same thing everyone else wants; answers!" Snake said. "Yeah, well let's hope we find some answers soon!" Wolverine growled.

Spawn was quite cautious as they ventured deeper through the base, due to his Necroplasm senses alerting him of danger. "Something troubling you my friend?" Fawkes asked Spawn. "Something isn't right with this place; I can feel it!" Spawn answered solemnly. "Hey! Look at that; those large glass tubes." Jill pointed out. Everyone entered the room and looked in awe as they saw what was inside of the tubes; they appeared to be clones of the horrible monster Nemesis. "Shit! It's bad enough we've had to deal with one Nemesis, but now Wesker is building a whole fucking army of these damn things?!" Jill exclaimed. "We have to find a way to destroy these things!" Rorschach grumbled. "No problem; we'll smash them up like no tomorrow!" Fawkes boasted.

However, Snake stopped him before he could whip out his Gatling Laser Cannon. "No! We can't be spotted...not yet! There must be another way to destroy these things without causing too much chaos." Snake warned. "Argh...if that's what you think we should do, then I shall obey!" Fawkes complained. Spawn approached a computer terminal before alerting his comrades. "Hey! Get over here; I think you should see this!" Spawn said. "More journal entries from our dear old pal, Wesker. Why am I not surprised?" Snake said with sarcasm dripping in his voice.

Snake clicked on a journal entry and read it; it appeared to be the same old boasting by Wesker, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary. " _Now that I have earned the trust of the Enclave, the construction of my army of Nemesis clones shall finally be complete. Nobody will stand in my way!_ " the entry boasted. "It's just the same damn thing over and over again! What are we missing?" Snake cursed. "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this!" Morrigan said with worry. "Yeah...if I didn't know any better, I'd say we walked into a trap!" Wolverine growled. "And I'd say that you're right!" a cocky voice announced suddenly.

Snake gasped as he turned around to face Deadpool facing them with a pair of pistols pointed at them. Even more shocking were some of the people with him. Among them were Crimson Viper and Spencer. "Deadpool?! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Snake exclaimed. "What's it look like? We're betraying you; you're worth a lot of money and I just couldn't stand by and let this oppurtunity slide." Deadpool said with a cocky grin on his face. This made Snake and the others very angry. "You bastard; after all we've been through?! All of a sudden you now decide to start working for Wesker? Where the hell are your standards?!" Snake shouted.

Deadpool chuckled as he approached Snake, making him very defensive. "It's nothing personal, it's just business!" Deadpool sneered. "Business my ass! You always were a psychopath, Wade...I just didn't figure you to be a coward and a traitor!" Wolverine snarled. Suddenly, Deadpool's eyes widened. "Logan! Buddy old pal of mine...how the hell are you? I thought you were, well you know...dead? I guess that's a good thing that you're here, though. Nobody ever calls me bub anymore!" Deadpool said cheerfully. "Well I can safely say that I didn't miss the sound of your voice...bub!" Wolverine growled. "Aww, it's nice to see you too! Well, I'm afraid this is the part where I have to capture you guys and turn you in now!" Deadpool said as he suddenly stabbed Wolverine with a tranquilizer pen. "NO!" Spawn shouted as he attempted to fight back.

But before he could reach Deadpool, Spencer used his Bionic Arm to pummel Spawn into a wall and knocked the wind out of him. Snake and the others attempted to resist, but Crimson Viper threw a flash grenade to the ground and blinded them before she and Spencer subdued them. As she gained her vision back, Jill gave Spencer the death glare as he approached her and removed her weapons. "You couldn't stop at betraying us once, could you? You fucking bastard!" Jill seethed. Spencer suddenly got in her face, making Jill even more angry. "Listen to me, Jill. Just work with us until I give you the signal." Spencer whispered. This confused Jill, but Spencer gave her a look to let her know that things would be all right. "Yeah, this is yours truly! We've got them; better get those chambers ready, because boss-man is gonna want to do some testing on them!" Deadpool announced.

Spawn grew extremely defensive as he got back up to his feet, but Snake looked at him as if to say to play it cool. "We're beat, kid. Just play it cool, all right? We'll find a way out of this somehow!" Snake assured. "For your sake, you better be right!" Spawn snarled. "Hey, be quiet!" Spencer snapped as he cuffed Snake. "Ouch! Don't be so rough, now!" Morrigan complained as Crimson Viper roughly grabbed her arms. "Stop resisting! You're only going to make things worse for yourself if you don't cooperate with us!" Crimson Viper hissed as she cuffed her. As the heroes were forced to march away, two figures watched them from the shadows.

Eventually, Deadpool and his own gang led the heroes into a large laboratory of some sort where Albert Wesker and several Enclave soldiers and scientists were waiting. "Ah, I see you've finally brought these troublesome pests to me. Good work, Wade Wilson!" Wesker announced as he slowly turned to face them. "All in a good day's work, boss man!" Deadpool announced. "Ugh...what's going on? Huh?!" Wolverine groaned before he became more alert. "Albert Wesker...you sure make it a bad habit of chasing you all around the place. But then again, what do I expect when you're so busy all the time?" Snake announced with bitterness in his voice.

Wesker laughed at him as he approached him. "So you're the one who's been leading this rebellion? Doesn't surprise me, considering the fact that you have nothing else to live for. But now that you're here, perhaps you could be of good use to me." Wesker sneered. "Fuck you, Wesker! It doesn't matter what you do to us; we're never going to fall for your lies!" Jill shouted angrily. "Temper, my dear Jill! All will be revealed soon enough." Wesker said as he approached her. "No, I want answers now! Why are you doing this?!" Jill demanded as she attempted to attack Wesker.

Spencer caught her and held her back. "All I want is to bring order to this wasteland, Miss Valentine. All I want is to ensure that there is peace and prosperity." Wesker began. "Bullshit! That's a bold faced lie and you know it! If you really wanted peace, you wouldn't have built all these horrible monsters. You wouldn't have killed off the Brotherhood of Steel, and you sure as hell wouldn't have decided to work with the Enclave!" Snake snapped. "You're misunderstanding me, Snake. I do want this world to be in order...but if I'm to do that, I'll have to do a little house cleaning first." Wesker retorted. "By sending out your little demon army to kill everyone? Yeah, that's law and order right there...for a madman!" Snake cried. "Enough! You've interfered with me for the last time, Snake. Now you will see what happens to those who defy me!" Wesker said as he approached a computer terminal.

As he began typing a command on the keyboard, Spencer glanced over at Crimson Viper who then glanced at Snake and Jill. "Wait for it!" Spencer mouthed to Snake. Snake became confused, but Jill looked at him and nodded her head slowly. "I will launch this missile at the NCR Headquarters, thus removing yet another thorn from my side. I want you to watch this, Snake. I want you to look and see what happens to those who dare to oppose my will to bring order to my world!" Wesker said harshly. He was about to press a big red button, when suddenly a gun was fired at the computer screen and destroyed it. "What the hell?!" Wesker exclaimed in shock. "Not while I have a say in this, you won't!" a voice shouted.

The others turned to face their surprise attacker; it was Chris Redfield! "I don't believe this...Chris?!" Jill exclaimed. "NOW! ATTACK!" Spencer shouted as he pounded away several Enclave soldiers. "You traitors!" Wesker roared before he took off running. Crimson Viper pressed a button on her wrist watch, causing the cuffs of the captive superheroes to be freed. "Now! Go, get out of here...we'll deal with Wesker!" Crimson Viper shouted as she kicked away an Enclave scientist. "Sounds good to me!" Wolverine said as he began tearing apart several Enclave scientists with his claws. "We're not leaving you behind!" Snake objected as he finished punching and kicking an Enclave soldier away from him. "Yes you are! Somebody has to stop Wesker, and that somebody is me. Now get going!" Crimson Viper snapped as she slid underneath an Enclave soldier before kicking him in the back.

The Enclave soldier crashed into Snake, forcing them both onto the ground. "Viper, wait!" Snake cried as he shoved the Enclave solider off him. It was too late; she was already gone and the chaos within the area began to grow more and more out of control. "Damn it!" Snake cried as he dodged several laser blasts. "Don't let them get away!" an Enclave shocktrooper shouted as he blasted his laser rifle at the heroes. Morrigan grabbed Snake and helped him find shelter behind a steel wall, where most of the other heroes were hiding behind. "Thanks...wait, where's Spawn and Fawkes?" Snake asked. "I think they took off to find Wesker!" Morrigan replied. "Son of a bitch! That kid is only going to get himself hurt, or worse! We have to find him!" Snake cried.

Chris Redfield threw a smoke grenade at the group of Enclave shocktroopers, blinding their vision with a cloud of thick smoke. "I'll keep you covered; go!" Chris shouted before he began firing his pistol at them. "I'll stay with you, Chris. You go on, Snake! Find Spawn and bring him back safely!" Jill insisted. "No, you go with Snake. We got this!" Chris objected as he dodged a laser blast before retaliating with a headshot. "But Chris-" Jill objected. "GO!" Chris shouted as he practically pushed her away. "Gr...fine! But you owe me for this; come on!" Jill growled before she ran off with Snake.

Morrigan followed behind them, yelping as she was nearly hit by a laser blast. "Oh, I hope we find them soon!" Morrigan cried as she flew up into the air. "Me too, hon. Me too!" Snake said as he drew out his pistol. "Stop socializing and keep running; we can't let them catch us!" Rorschach growled. "HEY! They're getting away; after them!" an Enclave soldier shouted as he spotted them. "Don't worry about them; the boss said he left a special little surprise in store for them. Let's worry about dealing with these guys!" an Enclave captain said before firing a plasma pistol at Chris Redfield's direction. "Damn it! Whatever it is you guys are doing, you better do it fast!" Chris exclaimed. "Don't worry about them...let's have some fun for once! CHIMI-CHANGA!" Deadpool cried as he fired his pistols at the Enclave soldiers. "Ugh, remind me again why he's here with us?" Crimson Viper groaned. "Just focus on staying alive!" Spencer snapped as he used his Grapple Arm to grab a grenade before throwing at back at the Enclave soldiers.

Meanwhile; Spawn and Fawkes made their way back to where the army of Nemesis clones were. "You ready for this?" Spawn growled as he pulled out an assault rifle. "My friend, I think we may have finally found something we can both agree on...so yes, I am ready!" Fawkes said as he drew out his Laser Gatling Cannon. Soon enough, Spawn and Fawkes began mowing down the resting Nemesis clones. The deafening sounds of explosions and the shredding up of the nasty creatures was loud enough for Snake and his group to hear from several hundred feet away. "Hey! Do you hear that?" Jill cried. "Looks like we're a little late for the party!" Wolverine smirked. "Spawn, what the hell are you up to?!" Snake growled.

As Snake and the others approached the scene, they were surprised to see Spawn and Fawkes working together to destroy all of the Nemesis clones. "That's it, Fawkes. Destroy them all! We can't let a single one of these abominations live! Keep going!" Spawn encouraged as he kept blasting at the tubes. "YAAAHHH! Die, you ugly monsters, die!" Fawkes shouted. Snake smirked a bit as he saw this. "Well, looks like Spawn and Fawkes are finally getting along after all." he muttered. "Well, let's not just stand around and watch. Let's give them a hand!" Morrigan sneered before she unleashed her Finishing Shower attack on a bunch of tubes full of Nemesis clones.

As the heroes finished up destroying the Nemesis clones, they were unaware of an evil presense watching their every move. He was watching and studying their every move, preparing himself before striking them by surprise. At last, the heroes had finished killing off the Nemesis clones before settling down and regrouping. "You did good back there, Fawkes." Spawn complimented. "Thank you, Spawn...you did pretty good back there as well. I guess we make a good team after all!" Fawkes said. "Hey, kid? Nice work...that's yet another threat from Wesker that's out of the picture." Snake said. "I'll say it time and again; Wesker is going to die. But I'm not about to let any of his freakish monsters or experiments get away, either!" Spawn replied. "Well, the less of Wesker's monsters, the better. Come on, let's get outta here!" Jill began.

But before she could take another step, a laser blast forced her away onto her back. "AAAUUGHH!" Jill screamed as she was hit. "Jill!" Snake shouted as he ran to her. "I have you right where I want you!" a menacing robotic voice announced. Suddenly, the robot menace flew his way towards the heroes and began blasting lasers at them through his eyes. It was Cyborg-Superman! "What the hell?!" Spawn exclaimed. "Damn it; looks like I ain't the only who's been brought back from the dead!" Wolverine cried. "Ugh...it hurts!" Jill groaned as she held her burning wound on her chest. "Jill's wounded! You guys take care of him while Rorschach and I get Jill someplace safe; we have to take care of her wound!" Snake announced as he helped her up. "Not a problem! If we can take out an army of monsters, surely a robot is no match against us!" Fawkes boasted. "Don't get too excited just yet...it's still Superman we're dealing with here!" Spawn growled as he drew out his Agony Axe. "No it's not...it's nothing like Superman; it's just another one of Wesker's evil monsters with a sick, perverse form!" Morrigan scolded as she grew bold.

As Snake and Rorschach carried Jill away to safety, Spawn and the others did battle against the evil Cyborg-Superman. "If I couldn't destroy you before, I'll make damn sure to destroy you once and for all!" Spawn cried. "I won't be beaten by the likes of you, Hellspawn!" Cyborg-Superman snarled. Spawn cried out fiercely as he charged towards the evil robot, and Cyborg-Superman charged towards him with a battlecry of his own. Another earthshattering battle was about to begin between two of some of the most powerful otherworldly forces!


	14. Attack of Cyborg-Superman!

**Chapter 14: Attack of Cyborg-Superman!**

* * *

Spawn was the first to strike; he kicked at Cyborg-Superman several times before slashing at the robot's sides with his Agony Axe. The attacks did nothing but anger the cybernetic being, as he retaliated fiercely with several punches to Spawn's gut before grabbing him by the throat and punched him in the face, forcing him away. Spawn got back up and retaliated by throwing a flaming ball of Necroplasm at Cyborg-Superman. This attack apparently hurt the cyborg, but also angered him. Cyborg-Superman fired his deadly lasers from his eyes, but Spawn was able to dodge his projectiles before he teleported behind Cyborg-Superman and dive bombed him with his feet.

The enraged robot cried out in pain before he grabbed Spawn by the legs and threw him up into the air before smashing him back down with his fists. "Gah! Is that all you've got, fool?!" Spawn growled as he got back up. "I'm only getting started!" Cyborg-Superman sneered. He attempted to rush back at Spawn, but Morrigan blindsided him with her Shadow Blade and threw him off balance. "Play nicely, now!" Morrigan teased before she unleashed her Soul Fist attack on him. Cyborg-Superman grunted as he was hit, but he wouldn't let anyone beat him, especially not a lady.

He roared as he threw a massive punch at Morrigan, but the speedy succubus dodged his attack before he punched a huge hole in the wall. Morrigan then flew behind him and giggled as she sprouted several tendrils from her wings and attacked the cyborg. Cyborg-Superman grew furious after being poked and jabbed several times and eventually sucked Morrigan in with a deep breath before freezing her with a gust of wind. Cyborg-Superman then grabbed hold of Morrigan before flying up into the air and smashed her back down, knocking the wind out of her. "Ow! That wasn't very nice!" Morrigan groaned as she struggled to get back up.

Cyborg-Superman growled as he began flying towards Morrigan to attack again, when suddenly Spawn grabbed onto his legs with his chains and smashed him into a wall. "Well then get a load of this!" Spawn sneered as he burned Cyborg-Superman with a surge of Necroplasm through his chains. The angry robot screamed as he was burned, exposing more of his robotic exoskeleton as the Necroplasm burned through his prosthetic skin. To add on even more damage, Fawkes fired his Gatling Laser Cannon at Cyborg-Superman. "YEAH! Take that you...huh? Uh-oh...I'm outta ammo, you guys!" Fawkes shouted before his weapon suddenly stopped working. "That's ok; we'll finish this guy off the old fashioned way!" Wolverine sneered as he unleashed his claws.

Cyborg-Superman snarled with fury as he broke free of Spawn's chains and attempted to fly towards them to attack, but Wolverine unleashed his deady Tornado Claw attack and slashed upwards at the incoming cyber warrior and forced him away. Morrigan flew up towards him and grabbed hold of him with her legs, smiling seductively before she slammed him facedown into the ground. "You like that, tough guy?" Morrigan sneered. Cyborg-Superman groaned as he stood back up, looking more and more like a robot as he sustained more damage. "Resistance is futile; give up now!" Cyborg-Superman commanded. "Sorry, bub! But you just ain't gonna win this!" Wolverine sneered as he clashed his claws together. "You, on the otherhand, can still run away though!" Morrigan teased as she blew a kiss at him.

Cyborg-Superman growled furiously as he charged towards them, before Spawn delivered the final blow. He fired a massive streak of Necroplasm at Cyborg-Superman, making the robot scream in agony as he was burned to a crisp. Down but not out, Cyborg-Superman attempted to crawl towards them to continue its fight. Wolverine then went all out as he pounced on the robot and began ripping and tearing it apart with his claws. "You're terminated, you greasy chunk of scrap and hardware!" Wolverine snarled as he finally finished off the cyborg by ramming his claws into it's robotic brains.

The robot screamed its last as blackish red fluid squirted everywhere. As Wolverine got back on his feet, Morrigan just looked at Cyborg-Superman, who was now the heap of scrap metal that lay before them. "Oh! Well, that was...easy. Too easy if I say so myself!" Morrigan noted. "Maybe we were much stronger than we thought!" Fawkes suggested hopefully. "Or maybe this was just the beginning of something more sinister!" Spawn said grimly. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway! We gotta find the others and get the hell outta here before we run into anymore of Wesker's crazy monsters!" Wolverine barked. "You're probably right; you know where the old man went?" Spawn asked referring Snake. "I think he went that way." Morrigan said as she began flying up into the air. "Are you sure about that? Maybe we should stay here and wait for them to return." Spawn suggested. "No way, bub! I ain't gonna stay here and wait to become one of Wesker's little pets to turn me into a snack. I say we give it a try and look for them!" Wolverine snapped.

Spawn wanted to argue, but also knew that there was the possibility that one of Wesker's minions would pop out of nowhere to attack them at any given time. Plus, he worried about Snake, even though he wouldn't admit it. "Fine! Lead the way, Morrigan!" Spawn grouched. "Ok...follow me, boys!" Morrigan announced. "I hope that they're ok!" Fawkes announced. "Me too." Spawn whispered.

Meanwhile; Snake and Rorschach struggled to take a seriously injured Jill Valentine to safety, due to the chaotic battles that alerted the Enclave. "Damn it! We're never going to find a quiet spot to help Jill's injuries at this rate." Snake growled. "Not with the whole damn base on alert, anyway!" Rorschach added. "You know something? Complaining isn't really helping my injury! Just keep going!" Jill snapped before she gasped and winced in pain before she cried out in agony.

As Jill cried out in pain, several Enclave scouts heard her and began coming towards their direction. "Hey! You guys hear that?! They're here somewhere; let's find them and kill them!" an Enclave scout cried out with an alert tone. "Shit! Ok, Jill...you stay behind this corner. Rorschach and I will take care of these guys." Snake instructed as he helped place Jill against a wall. " ...no problem; take your time, we're in no rush!" Jill joked despited how much pain she was in. Snake smirked before he snuck over towards another wall corner and drew out his combat knife. Rorschach soon joined him and cracked his knuckles; they both had only one chance to pull this off.

Finally, as the Enclave scouts began approaching their direction, Snake and Rorschach made their move. Snake took a deep breath before he rammed his knife into the throat of one of the scouts before grabbing him and used him as a human shield. At the same time, Rorschach pounced on another scout and smashed his face against the wall, killing him instantly. Snake reached for his human shield's pistol and began shooting away at the the other scouts, killing them each with a headshot.

Eventually, Snake blew out the brains of his human shield with the last bullet before tossing his dead body aside with the others. "Well, that worked out a lot better than I had hoped." Snake joked. As Snake and Rorschach approached Jill, they could see how much pain she was in as she kept trying to hold back the blood pouring out from her chest. Jill was a tough woman and had suffered injuries before, but this was a new kind of pain she was enduring. "Hey...are you all right, Jill?" Snake asked kindly.

Jill scoffed playfully as she shook her head. "I'm bleeding like there's no tomorrow and we're as far away from killing Wesker as possible, not to mention that the rest of our team has no idea where we are. And to top it all off, Chris has left me again...I'm fucking fantastic!" Jill said with pure sarcasm in her voice. Snake let out a small grin as she said that. "You're a tough lady...we might as well just leave you here to fend for yourself, considering how much of a strong and independent woman you are!" Snake joked back. Jill laughed at him as he said that before she began coughing violently. "Come on; we'll get you taken care of!" Snake said as he grabbed hold of Jill and helped her walk. "Give me your gun, Snake. I'll take point while you help her! If I see any trouble, stay behind until I give you the clear. Got it?" Rorschach instructed.

Snake nodded his head as he gave Rorschach his pistol. As Rorschach took point and led the team, Snake and Jill began to make small talk. "So what did you mean by Chris leaving you again?" Snake asked. "Ugh...it's nothing, really. Let's just say that Chris and I haven't really been on the best terms with each other lately. You know how that goes!" Jill groaned. "Tell me about it. You know I was only joking back there, right?" Snake said more kindly. "It's fine...it actually wouldn't surprise me if Chris said that and actually did it. The egotistical bastard!" Jill said grumpily.

This caused Snake to raise an eyebrow. "I didn't know you felt so strongly about Chris...not like this, I mean." he said. "It's really nothing worth talking about, Snake. Like you said; it's all in the past. If I dwell on it, I'll only go mad...if I don't bleed to death that is!" Jill said half-jokingly. Snake and Jill chuckled together before Rorschach motioned them to stay behind. Rorschach moved quietly and carefully up ahead, while Snake held Jill close against the wall. "What's going on?" Jill whispered. "Shh...don't make a sound." Snake shushed.

Gunshots and cries of pain were heard before Rorschach came out of the blue, motioning them to move forward. As Snake helped Jill move up, she began to feel very faint and woozy. "Ugh...I don't feel so good, you guys. I think I'm gonna-" Jill groaned before she passed out in Snake's arms. "Shit! We gotta find a first aid kit, now!" Snake cursed. "Well we're just in luck; there's a clinic up ahead!" Rorschach said as he caught sight of a red cross sign. "Hold on, Jill! You're gonna make it, ok?" Snake encouraged. Jill moaned in response.

A little while later, Jill woke up in a hospital bed with bandages wrapped on her chest. "Huh? What happened...where am I?" Jill asked sleepily. "Hey, you're awake. Good! You lost quite a lot of blood back there, but we were able to patch up your wound. I was able to stitch you up before I applied the bandages on...though I had to remove some of your clothing to bandage you up entirely, so-" Snake explained. "So you saw my boobs? Big deal...I'm sure it's nothing you haven't seen before!" Jill retorted.

Snake laughed at her comment before he helped her up. "You ok?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I feel a little sore, but I'll live...and that's what's important right? Speaking of which; you haven't been able to find the others yet, have you?" Jill asked. "No, and that's why we're worried. If you feel like you're up for it, we can go look for them!" Snake replied. "Well, considering the fact you patched me up and we've wasted enough time, I say let's go find our friends so we can get the hell out of this madhouse!" Jill said.

Snake smirked as she said that. Now that he thought about it, Jill's toughness and likable attitude seemed to remind him more and more of a certain young lady; that certain young lady being Meryl Silverburgh. "You really are something else, you know that Jill? You're a great soldier!" Snake said kindly. Jill blushed as he said that. "Well, thanks...I'm glad you think so. You're a great leader!" she said before she kissed him softly on the cheek. "If you two are done flirting with each other, we've got work to do!" Rorschach grumbled. "All right, all right...we're coming; sheesh!" Jill snapped.

Back with Spawn, he and the others became lost in a maze of hallways. "Damn it! I knew we should've stayed back there and waited for them!" Spawn growled. "Morrigan, are you even sure that Snake went this way?" Wolverine demanded. "I don't know, all right?! Call it a hunch, but something tells me that they must've gone this way!" Morrigan snapped. Fawkes gasped as he saw something in the distance. "I think you're on to something, Morrigan. Look!" Fawkes pointed out. He was right; there were dead bodies piled all around, as well as bullet casings and blood splatters. "Ha! See? I told you that I knew what I was doing!" Morrigan taunted. "Big deal...this could've been done by anyone!" Wolverine growled.

Spawn used his Necro-Vision to get a good sense of what happened here. "No...Morrigan is right. There was a battle here; between the old man and several of these Enclave bastards. I don't know how he did it, but he pulled it off...all while helping that woman escape." Spawn announced with an impressed tone. "Where did they go?" Morrigan asked. "They kept going straight...and that's where we'll be going too!" Spawn said as he followed the trail of blood left behind by Jill. "Well, you're an observant one, aren't ya?" Wolverine snorted.

Eventually, Spawn and the others wound up in the clinic where Jill had her wound taken care of. "Shit! We just missed them!" Spawn cursed. "Well, they can't have gone far. Maybe they went back to look for us!" Morrigan suggested. "So we gotta go all the way back again? Well, that's just great!" Wolverine grumbled. "Complaining will not help us! Do you hear Spawn complaining?" Fawkes scolded. "Are you telling me what to do?!" Wolverine snarled as he got in his face. "I don't want to have to hurt you, but you may leave me no other choice friend!" Fawkes growled. "Quiet! You hear that?! Everyone get down and stay down!" Spawn cried as his Necroplasm senses alerted him of incoming danger.

As Spawn and the others took cover behind a wall, a whole squadron of Enclave Super Soldiers were seen marching right past them. They were armed to the teeth with heavy assault weapons and energy weapons. "What's going on?" Morrigan whispered. "The Enlcave are on the move; they look like they're ready for battle...but I highly doubt they're after the old man...or us for that matter." Spawn observed. "Then why are they armed with so many weapons? They look like they're ready to fight against an entire army!" Fawkes said.

As he said that, a deep rumbling took place up above them. "You may be right about that. Wait for them to pass and then we'll get moving." Spawn instructed. After the last of the Enclave marched by them, Spawn and the others took advantage of the situation and ran. "Ok, if the old man hasn't made his way back to find us, then he's probably waiting for us up at the airstrip." Spawn said as they picked up the pace. "And what makes you say that?" Wolverine demanded. "Just trust me; that's where I would be if shit started getting out of hand. I'd need a means of escape!" Spawn replied.

Back outside, Snake waited impatiently behind cover with Jill and Rorschach. They took cover behind a building that had been smashed up by the Hulk, who strangely enough was now out of sight. "Damn it! The Hulk is gone...again!" Snake cursed. "Yeah, well apparently so are the others...Chris included!" Jill added. "You sure you don't have anything against him?" Rorschach grumbled. Jill gave him a dark look, and Rorschach took the hint. "Right...we should be more concerned about Spawn. You think he knows we're out here?" Rorschach said as he cleared his throat.

They were quickly answered when Snake caught sight of Spawn and the others approaching a helicopter. Snake smiled as he saw them. "Good instincts, kid. Come on, you guys...follow me and keep it down." Snake instructed. Snake and his own group slowly approached Spawn's group, who were observing a bunch of parked VTOL aircrafts. One of them was missing, obviously showing that Wesker had used this chaos to buy him time to escape. "Of course that coward would take off during the battle!" Spawn growled. "Maybe he was afraid of breaking a nail!" Morrigan joked. "A big man like Wesker afraid to fight? Yeah, that sounds about right!" Snake suddenly announced.

The others gasped as Snake surprised them. "Don't scare us like that, Snake! We thought you were one of them!" Morrigan snapped as she blushed. "Sorry about that, I couldn't resist the urge." Snake chuckled. "Jill! You're alive!" Fawkes cried happily. "I am, all thanks to Snake here." Jill said as she pointed to Snake. "So, does anyone know how to fly one of these things or what?" Wolverine announced trying to change the subject. "I think we might able to help you out with that!" a voice smirked suddenly.

Spawn and the gang turned around to find Crimson Viper, Spencer, Deadpool, and Chris Redfield approaching them. There were some mixed feelings with Spawn's group as they approached them. While they appreciated the fact that they helped them, there was also some tension as to what their own agenda was. "Hello, Chris. So I see you've decided to join us again?" Jill said with a condescending tone as she crossed her arms. "Don't start that crap with me now, Jill!" Chris snapped. "Hey, watch it bub!" Wolverine growled. "Dudes...chill out, we're all on the same side. Besides; what's a reunion without tacos?!" Deadpool announced as he pulled out a bag of tacos. "What's a taco?" Fawkes asked stupidly. "Say what?! You don't know what a taco is? Well, I think I should educate your ass. Prepared to get schooled, son! This is Taco 101!" Deadpool cried.

Deadpool pulled out some tacos and practically threw them at everyone, whether they wanted one or not. "Ugh...I hate tacos; they give me gas!" Crimson Viper groaned. "What? Well, fine...your loss. I still get the next cover for Street Fighter for helping you though, right?" Deadpool retorted. "Well, as long as you people are on our side-" Snake began. "Hold on! I remember you; you worked with Razor! Give me a good reason why I shouldn't rip off your jaw and stomp on your face!" Spawn snarled angrily. "Spawn!" Morrigan gasped.

Spencer sighed as he shook his head. "Look, man...I fucked up big time, all right? I know that I what I did was wrong and I'm really, really sorry. I just want to make things right, ok? Besides; Wesker is the real enemy here! Not only does he have the Enclave on his side and not only does he have an army of demons at his disposal, but he also has Batman being held prisoner somewhere in Empire Plaza!" Spencer said gravely.

This caused everyone else to become very shocked, even Spawn. "My God! Well, what are we waiting for?! We have to help him!" Snake exclaimed. "It's a little more complicated than that, I'm afraid!" Crimson Viper began. "Hey! I just got blasted with a fucking laser and fought against an army of Nemesis clones, so I don't want to hear any fucking excuses!" Jill shouted angrily. "You can't just rush on into Empire Plaza, Jill! The entire city is on lockdown and has the best hired guns that Wesker can afford, not to mention the fact that he still has some very powerful allies under his command. So I think it's safe to say that I know what I'm talking about!" Crimson Viper snapped.

Jill turned red in the face until Snake calmed her down by touching her shoulders. "She's right. We're very close, so we have to keep our cool. If we have to use stealth to get inside of the city, then so be it." Snake began. "Yeah, like that ended up going well for us here!" Spawn growled. "Um, not to be rude or anything...but blowing up those ugly monsters in their tubes was your idea to begin with!" Fawkes pointed out. Snake and the others looked at Spawn before the phantom just sighed, palming his face. "Look, what's done is done! There's no point in dwelling on the past; we have to focus on taking out Wesker, and if possible, freeing Batman! Now do you have any ideas on how we can get into Empire Plaza?" Snake said seriously.

Chris stepped up to speak. "I have a plan; Wesker plans on executing Batman at midnight tonight. A lot of people are going to be there to witness his execution, due to Wesker claiming his the main one responsible for inciting the rebellion against him. I already have several NCR snipers in place inside of the city, but I'm going to need some help getting the rest of the NCR assault team to sneak in. The only way I can possibly get them into the city is by one of these aircrafts, but there's just one problem...there are anti-aircraft guns manned by Legion troops. I'll need some help taking them out!" Chris explained.

After a moment of silence, Snake finally spoke up again. "I'll do it; I'll help you get your get your men into the city. Just tell me where these anti-aircraft guns of yours are, then Spawn and I will handle them." Snake announced. Spawn growled in defiance. "Why the hell can't these damn NCR troops do it themselves?! This is nothing but a complete waste of time!" Spawn snarled. "Spawn, don't say that!" Morrigan exclaimed. "The NCR is already suffering enough casualties against the Enclave's forces and the Legion combined; we're stretched really thin here!" Chris explained. "We?! So you're siding with someone else of whom you know nothing about?" Jill cried angrily. "Look, Jill this isn't the time-" Chris began. "Actually, yes! It is time, Chris! Why are you even fighting with the NCR to begin with? You don't even know anything about them and yet you want to dedicate your time and effort for a group who probably has their own hidden agenda?" Jill snapped.

Snake calmed Jill down again before he spoke up. "Look, I don't like this anymore than the rest of you...but what choice have we got? Batman's life is at stake, and so are the lives of millions of innocent people. We have to work together if we're to do this right. The fate of the world depends on our cooperation." Snake said calmly. The others were still a bit hesitant, but they finally decided to work with Chris' plan. "All right, fine. But I'm not doing this for you, Chris! I'm doing this because Snake is right!" Jill said snappishly. "Let's get this over with!" Spawn growled. "All right...let's get onboard one of these things and get moving." Chris announced.

Soon enough, they were off.


	15. Trouble with the NCR!

**Chapter 15: Trouble with the NCR!**

* * *

As everyone got onboard the VTOL aircraft, there was an awkward silence that filled the air, minus the whining drone of the aircraft's engine. Though they had little choice, everyone wasn't especially happy to be together. Jill Valentine glared at Chris Redfield, while Chris just ignored her. Spawn didn't take his eyes off Spencer or Crimson Viper, and Snake kept looking at Spawn as if waiting for him to spring forward to attack someone.

Finally, Deadpool decided to break the silence. "So...anyone else feel like killing those weird floating babies in Wesker's little laboratories later?" Deadpool announced. Everyone looked at Deadpool with a weird look on their face. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Snake demanded. "You know, Wesker's weird little floating babies? Those monsters inside of those tubes you saw earlier? Those are his babies...cuz he takes such pride and joy in making them. I'd hate to see what Mrs. Wesker looks like. Yech!" Deadpool joked with an overexaterated shudder.

Wolverine groaned in annoyance, while Crimson Viper and Spencer looked like they wanted to punch his head off in sheer annoyance. "Do you ever shut the fuck up, Wade?!" Crimson Viper growled. "What?! I'm serious; those things are fucking creepy! Rock-a-bye...BAM, BABY!" Deadpool said as he pretended to shoot his gun. "Honestly, I don't think I can decide which is worse. Being stuck inside one of those tubes or having to hear you talk!" Wolverine grumbled. "Aww, so you did miss me? I feel so warm and fuzzy inside now!" Deadpool giggled.

Suddenly, the VTOL aircraft shook violently and threw everyone off balance. "What the hell was that?!" Spawn demanded. "Shit! We're being hit by flak cannons from down below! This is it, Snake. You and Spawn do your thing; I have to take the others to the city. We'll give you until sundown. If you're not back at the rendevous point by then, we'll have to move on without you!" Chris explained as he pressed a button. Soon, the bay doors to the VTOL opened up.

Snake smirked as he stood up and grabbed a parachute, while Spawn just followed him with a blank expression. "Chris? We can't leave them; what if they run into trouble? Who will help them?!" Jill exclaimed. "Don't worry about us, Jill. Spawn and I can take care of ourselves. You just worry about helping out Chris and the others!" Snake insisted as he touched her shoulder. Jill seemed hesitant at first, but Snake's passionate eyes calmed her down. "Ok...just be careful out there, all right?" Jill said more softly. "10 seconds!" Chris announced as the flak from below grew more violent.

Spawn looked down below at the valley, with all the chaos giving him flashbacks from his past encounters as a mercenary and soldier. "You ok, kid?" Snake asked. Spawn suddenly laughed, which was strange for Snake to hear. "You kidding me? I feel like I'm back in my army boy days; let's do this!" Spawn said. Snake grinned as he said that. "That's what I like to hear!" Snake replied. "WAIT! I wanna go with you guys!" Fawkes said suddenly as he bolted out of his seat. "Are you kidding me? Now is not the time for-" Chris began. "I'd be no use to you or your NCR friends; I'm better off helping Spawn and Snake. Besides; they could use the extra muscle, so that we can get this done quicker!" Fawkes argued. "Finally; something we can agree on!" Spawn said.

Chris sighed but nodded his head, giving Fawkes a thumbs up. Fawkes grinned before he grabbed a parachute and jumped out of the VTOL. "Gotta hand it to him; he's got spirit!" Snake chuckled. "Yeah, well let's hope his spirit doesn't kill us!" Spawn muttered before he jumped. Snake soon jumped out with him and the three heroes freefell through the skies before landing in the valley below.

As they disappeared, Jill grew sad and worried as the aircraft managed to fly away to safety. "Don't worry about them, hon. They'll be fine!" Morrigan said kindly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd have feelings for the guy!" Deadpool joked. Jill and Morrigan glared at him, immediately shutting the mouthy mercenary up. "It's not that I'm worried about. I'm worried about Chris and his new friends; what if they aren't who they say they are?" Jill began.

Morrigan and the others were a bit confused by what she said. "I don't follow you." Wolverine said. "Yeah, what do you mean by that?" Morrigan asked. "Think about it! We know nothing of these people other than the fact that Rorschach said they want those blueprints for themselves." Jill said in a hushed tone. Rorschach nodded his head grimly, while the others remained silent. "Well, we'll just have to see what happens next. We can only hope for the best!" Morrigan replied at last. "I hope so." Jill sighed.

Meanwhile; Spawn, Snake, and Fawkes raged their way through the battlefield against hordes of the Legion. "Keep going! We have to disable those anti-aircraft guns!" Snake shouted as he shot down several Legion members. "I'll crush those things like toys!" Fawkes bellowed as he swung a sledgehammer at a Legion soldier's head. Spawn blasted away a group of Legion assassins with a ball of Necroplasm, killing them instantly. "Is this the best that they have to offer us? This will be over before it even starts!" Spawn boasted.

Eventually, Spawn and the others reached the top of a hill and began fighting off the remaining Legion troops in that area. As Spawn and Fawkes worked together to kill off the Legion horde, Snake ran towards the anti-aircraft guns and began planting C4. "All right; just gotta plant one more and then we can blow these things sky-high." Snake said to himself before he noticed something strange.

He glanced over at a strange symbol engraved on the anti-aircraft gun. There was a two-headed bear with a star; the same symbol that Snake and the others found in a tent a while ago. "Wait a minute...if this symbol is on these anti-aircraft guns, then that means-" Snake began. He quickly realized to his horror that Chris and the others were possibly running into a trap. "Shit! We gotta get to the others and fast! Spawn! Fawkes! Grab whatever ammo and gear you need quickly! We're leaving!" Snake shouted.

Spawn and Fawkes just finished killing off a Legion trooper, when they heard Snake crying out to them. "What are you going on about, old man?" Spawn demanded. "I think Chris, Jill, and the others are walking into a trap! We have to save them while we still have the chance!" Snake began. "Save them from what? I think we already saved them by killing off these bad guys!" Fawkes said with a confused tone. " _So that's what you think of us? As the villains? You are even bigger fools than I realized!_ " a harsh voice called out.

Spawn, Snake, and Fawkes turned slowly around to find a menacing figure facing them. He appeared to be a member of the Legion, but he looked quite different than the other Legion members they have encountered so far. He stood over eight feet tall, wore iron armor with crimson colored leather covering his entire body, and wore a frightening iron helmet with a strange Zeus-like mask made completely out of bronze. He also bore a massive iron sword with the hilt made out of ivory. "Who...or what the fuck are you supposed to be?" Spawn demanded at last. " _Funny you should say that, Hellspawn. But the truth is, you and I are not that different at all._ " the Legion warrior sneered.

Spawn growled as he reached for his Agony Axe, but Snake stopped him. "Wait! Maybe he isn't here to fight us. Maybe he can help us!" Snake suggested. The strange Legion warrior burst into laughter. " _Me? Help the likes of you?! After what you did to us? After betraying the Caesar?! You're lucky that I don't have you fools skinned alive and lashed onto a cross!_ " the warrior thundered. "Who the fuck do you think you are to threaten us, fool?! TALK!" Spawn roared as his eyes shined bright with Necroplasmic Rage.

The strange warrior suddenly walked towards Spawn, making the phantom and his friends twice as cautious. " _Since you fools are so ignorant, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am the mighty Legate Lanius; the Caesar's Legion Commander!_ " the Legion warrior began. "Oh, great...another one of those self-entitled assholes!" Snake grumbled. " _Silence! We shall see how brave you are when nailed to a cross, your body facing West so that you may watch your world die!_ " Lanius snarled.

Spawn growled as he drew out his Agony Axe. "You're about 2 seconds away from having that sword of yours shoved up your ass!" Spawn growled. "Wait a minute! Let's all just calm down a second, all right?! We don't have to fight! Maybe we can talk this out!" Snake shouted as he got between Spawn and Lanius. Spawn hesitantly lowered his weapon, though Lanius just stared at Snake in disbelief. " _You dare get between me and my prey? You have guts, boy...I shall give you that. But it will not be enough to spare you of my wrath!_ " Lanius sneered.

Snake sighed as he got in Lanius' face. "I'm going to be polite just this once; shut the hell up and listen to what I have to say. I don't want to fight you, but I will not allow you to get in our way. Our friends are in danger and we have to save them. Now tell me what you know about the NCR! Why is their insigna on those flak cannons?" Snake growled.

For the first time in his life, Lanius was stunned by his opponent's behavior. Many men have cowardly tried to talk their way out of battle before, but none were as bold as this...not for a long time, at least. " _Well, then! I can see that you fight with words, much like those beneath the flag of the Bear. Let us hope that your skills with weapons proves much greater!_ " Lanius said. "Did you not hear a word I said, asshole?! I said I don't want to fight with you! Now what do you know about the NCR?!" Snake cried.

Lanius laughed as he finally sheathed his sword. " _Why should I speak to you, foolish boy? It matters not, anyway. Victory shall belong to the Legion! It shall be swift, it will be filled with honor, and purchased with blood!_ " Lanius retorted. Snake knew that he wasn't going to through to this guy with mere words...so Snake decided to try to speak to him in a way that only he could understand. "Oh, I bet the Legion will be victorious. But if I had to guess, I'd say that the NCR has been giving you quite some trouble, hasn't it? Maybe we can cut a deal; you help us, we'll help you!" Snake said calmly.

Lanius didn't know how to react at first. " _Go on! You have my attention, for the next 60 seconds anyway! So make it count...before I smight you where you all stand!_ " Lanius growled. "Long story short; we're after a man named Albert Wesker. He's the one responsible for all this madness that's been going on in this Wasteland, and we want to make him pay for what he's done to us. Now call me crazy, but maybe this NCR is siding with Wesker. If you can tell us everything you know about the NCR, maybe we can help you get your honor back by killing Wesker. What do you say?" Snake said wisely.

There was a dreaded silence in the air for a long time, until Lanius finally spoke. " _There is much wisdom in your words, man of the West. I can see it upon your face, where many battles have left their mark. Very well! I shall tell you everything you all I know._ " Lanius said at last. Snake sighed in relief, as did Spawn and Fawkes. "Ok, good. First of all, why are there NCR symbols on those anti-aircraft guns? And why are you using them?" Snake asked. " _Too easy! I had my best Legion soldiers steal them, so that we could use them against the NCR's own airforce. But I assume that's not the only thing you wish to know, yes?_ " Lanius replied.

Snake nodded his head. "Yes. Who or what is this NCR exactly?" Snake asked again. Lanius chuckled as he crossed his arms. " _Now that, my dear boy, is a good question. Here is the answer; they are nothing more than a cowardly brood of vipers, driven by greed. They see something they want, they don't ask...they take! And they do not care for anyone who comes into harms way when they take it! I should know, for I have witnessed such terrible deeds done by these fools. Yet they dare call us the barbarians!_ " Lanius explained grimly. "What did they do to you that made you feel this way?" Snake asked.

Lanius suddenly took out a sack and poured out what appeared to be regular household items. There was an iron, a teddy bear, and a milk bottle; all of them old and worn out. "What is this? You always carry junk around with you, even in battle?" Spawn sneered. "Spawn, hush!" Snake shushed. " _Hmph! To you, Hellspawn...it appears as nothing of importance. But to me, it is all I have left of my humanity. These regular household items represent the very things that the NCR have taken away from me. The iron represents my people's strength; all shattered by the numbers of the unfairly advanced and heavily armed NCR troops. The milk bottle represents the fertile lands that the NCR has poisoned with the construction of their factories, as well as the pollution of filth and toxic waste spilled by their carelessness._ " Lanius explained bitterly.

Snake took a deep breath before he picked up the teddy bear, much to Lanius' surprise. "And let me guess; this bear represents your family, which the NCR took from you. Am I right?" Snake said sadly. Lanius took the teddy bear from Snake's grasp and appeared to quaver before he finally removed his helmet. Much to Snake and the others' surprise, Lanius was in fact a human being.

He had bright blue eyes, white skin, and grey hair. But for the first time in a long time, Lanius showed a deep sense of sadness. "You must understand; they took everything from me! My only child, who was not even old enough to walk yet...was dragged out into the streets and shot like a dog. And yet they dare to call US the barbarians?!" Lanius said with fury in his tone.

Snake nodded his head before he touched his shoulder. "Look, I actually do understand your intentions of fighting the NCR. I really do...but the real threat isn't the puppets, but rather the puppet master. Albert Wesker is very good at deceiving people, which is why we need to take him down now more than ever. I want to help you make him pay for what he's done to you, Lanius. But if we're to do that, we need your help. Please, if you know anything else...you must tell us!" Snake said seriously.

Lanius took a deep breath before he spoke up again. "There is to be a public execution in Empire Plaza tonight; hosted by the NCR's Commanding General, Lee Oliver. We were planning on sneaking in and assassinating him. But if it is true about what you say about this...Wesker, character-" Lanius began. "I never said you don't have to attack the NCR. By all means; you have every right to do so. But all I want from you is your word, that everything you've told us is true. All I want is justice to be done!" Snake interrupted.

Lanius smiled as he reached in his pocket for something. "You know something, boy? Out of all the people in this decrepid Wasteland, you have shown more honor than anyone else combined. For that reason alone, I shall grant you the mark of Caesar. You are hearby forgiven of your crimes against the Caesar's Legion." Lanius said as he handed Snake a golden coin. "Um...thanks." Snake said as he took the coin. "Come; we have little time before sundown approaches. I shall take you to a secret tunnel that will lead you to the city. I shall give you enough time to save your friends, but be warned. Once my men enter the city, I will not be responsible if my men attack you." Lanius instructed. "I understand." Snake replied. "Good!" Lanius said.

Eventually, Lanius led Snake and his friends towards a sewer entrance. "Here it is; just like I promised. Now remember, the minute you see me and my men, you don't linger about or get in our way. You run away; far away! This is our fight, and the will of Caesar wills to fight until the very end!" Lanius explained. "Thank you; I won't forget about this!" Snake said as he opened up the sewer hatch. "Nor shall I, my friend. May Mars' hand guide your way!" Lanius proclaimed before he put his helmet back on. Snake smiled at him before he led his friends down the sewer.

Meanwhile; Chris Redfield and his gang were just landing their VTOL aircraft at a helipad in Empire Plaza. "Finally! I have to pee so bad!" Deadpool announced. "I guess my legs could use a stretch!" Crimson Viper said as she stood up and stretched. "It's getting late; I hope for their sake they actually pulled this off!" Chris said as he got up from the pilot's seat. "Knowing them, I'm sure they have. Now come on; let's go meet these friends of yours!" Jill grouched.

But just as they stepped outside of the aircraft, they were surrounded by heavily armed NCR troops! They aimed their assault rifles and machineguns at them, making the heroes both nervous and infuriated. "Damn it! I knew this was too good to be true; some friends these turned out to be, Chris!" Jill cursed. "What the hell are you guys doing?! We're on the same side!" Chris shouted. "Not anymore, we're not!" a cocky and arrogant voice announced.

Chris and the others looked to find the NCR Commanding General approaching them, smirking deviously as he smoked a cigar. "Hello, Chris...late as usual, I see." Oliver Lee began with a cold tone. "We had a deal, Oliver!" Chris cried. "That's Commanding General to you, boy! And besides; of course I still upheld my end of the deal...I'm just waiting for you to uphold yours!" Commander Oliver sneered.

Jill turned and glared at Chris with fury in her eyes. "What is he talking about, Chris?!" she seethed. "Jill, I'm sorry about this...but enough is enough. No more games, no more melodramatic bullshit! Just give me the blueprints and you have my word that we'll let you go." Chris said sternly as he aimed his Beretta pistol at her. Jill clenched her fists and gritted her teeth with rage as she realized that she had once again been betrayed by her longtime friend and ex-lover. "You fucking bastard!" Jill shouted. "Enough of this nonsense! Just be a good little girl and give us what we want; the blueprints if you please. I promise to make it worth your while!" Commander Oliver said as he tossed his cigar aside.

Jill, Wolverine, Morrigan, and Rorschach glared at Oliver before turning to Chris, Crimson Viper, Spencer, and Deadpool. "You fucking traitors! You're all traitors, you know that?! Just when I thought we could trust you again-" Jill began. "Oh, shut the fuck up already you one-minded child! This isn't about making friends or playing by the rules; this is business now! Give us the damn blueprints and we'll let you go, plain and simple!" Crimson Viper snapped. "You all ain't supers anymore; you're god damn mercenaries! I knew that there was something rotten about you, I just didn't expect you to sink down this low!" Rorschach growled. "Hey, don't blame us...we're just working for the side that pays the most. Ever hear the old saying good friends are hard to come by and rich friends come by harder? Oh! Wait...that didn't come out right, did it?" Deadpool announced jokingly. "You know something, Deadpool? You're really starting to piss me off!" Wolverine snarled.

Commander Oliver began to lose his patience. "Enough of this! Give us the blueprints now, or else!" he demanded. "I don't know what you're talking about, so you might as well let us go. We're no use to you!" Morrigan lied. "Yeah, and even if we did have what you want, we'd never give it to you!" Wolverine added. Commander Oliver frowned bitterly as he heard this. "Hmm...how do I put this delicately? Delivery of those blueprints is non-negotiable. I invite you to think very carefully about what you say or do next...considering how you're surrounded by my best NCR soldiers here." Commander Oliver said.

Rorschach looked over at his friends, who looked very nervous. "You want it? Come and take it, then...but you risk destroying these precious blueprints. So ask yourself this; is it worth it?" Rorschach threatened. Commander Oliver was about to burst a blood vessel as he heard that. "Look, I'm trying real hard not to be the bad guy here. You either hand over those blueprints or I'll take them from you myself!" Commander Oliver practically shouted.

Rorschach slowly pulled out the blueprints, appearing to please the NCR commander and upsetting Jill and the other heroes. But to the horror of the NCR Commander, Rorschach tore up and shredded the blueprints before tossing the little paper bits to the ground in front of Commander Oliver in defiance. "Oops!" Rorschach said jokingly. Commander Oliver began to shake and tremble with pure rage. "Buddy, you have just made the biggest mistake in your entire life!" he snarled. "Fuck you! We're not scared of you!" Jill snapped. "Boys, you know what to do. Fry these bastards!" Commander Oliver shouted.

The NCR soldiers opened fire with their weapons, when suddenly a smoke grenade went off and blinded them. "What the hell?!" Jill exclaimed. "Get down and follow me!" Chris hissed as he pushed her. "Damn it! I can't see a thing!" an NCR soldier exclaimed. "After them, you fools! Don't let them escape!" Commander Oliver shouted. "Well, I can easily say I never saw that coming!" Deadpool announced. "Just shut up already!" Spencer snapped. Chris Redfield led the others away to safety into the streets below, successfully escaping from the NCR troops on their tail.

Eventually, Chris led them into a rusty old shack. "They won't look for us here. You guys are safe for now-" Chris began before Jill punched him in the face. "YOU ASSHOLE! What the fuck is your problem?! You leave me, then you come back for me, then you betray me again? Whose side are you on?!" Jill screamed. "God damn it, Jill! Shut up...they'll hear us! Look, I don't have much time...and neither does Batman. You still have a chance to save him and get out of here, but you're going to have to do everything I tell you to do if you want to live. You got that?!" Chris shushed.

Jill looked at him with utter confusion; what the hell was Chris up to this whole time? "Chris-" Jill began. "Just forget it, bub! We've put up with your crap for far too long, and we ain't falling for it anymore! So tell us what the fuck is going on before I tear you to shreds!" Wolverine growled as he got in his face. "I'm helping you guys save Batman! He'll explain the rest to you, but only if you save him and manage to get out of this city alive! Now are we in this together or what?" Chris snapped as he pushed him away. "I don't know, Chris. Are we?!" Morrigan challenged.

Chris sighed heavily as he shook his head. "Look...I know you all are confused, but there are far more important things going on right now than you and I. Now either do as I say or I'll just save us all the trouble and turn you in myself!" Chris threatened. Jill looked like she wanted to kill him then and there, but she knew she couldn't do that...not yet, anyway. "All right, Redfield! Tell us what your little plan is!" Jill said at last with a sharp tone.


	16. The Infiltrators!

**Chapter 16: The Infiltrators!**

* * *

The plan that Chris explained was simple; he and the others would sneak over to where the execution area holding Batman. Chris would then try to kill Commander Oliver, hoping to buy time for Jill and the others to escape. "Ok, sounds like a good plan and all. But what if this little plan of yours fails? Then what?!" Wolverine demanded. "Then it fails and we die for nothing! Any other stupid questions?" Chris snapped. Nobody said a word. "All right. Now stay quiet and follow me. We only have one shot at this!" Chris ordered as he armed himself up with a shotgun. After loading up, Chris opened up a trap door that led into another underground tunnel.

As Chris led the way, the sounds of heavy footsteps were heard up above. "They're out looking for us. What if they know what we're trying to do?" Jill stated. "Just trust me, all right? I know what I'm doing." Chris said as he motioned the others to stop. Jill scowled at him as he said that; the last thing she could do was trust Chris, but given the circumstances, she knew she didn't have much of a choice. "I hope so for your sake!" Jill growled.

Chris finally arrived at a ladder that led up to a manhole cover. Chris motioned the others to stay put until he returned. Chris climbed the ladder and slowly opened the manhole cover. After quickly looking around, he knew that the coast was clear. "Come on; this way!" Chris whispered. Everyone climbed up the ladder before they were up on the streets. The entire place like it had been before; a complete ghost town. Apparently, this part of Empire Plaza was the unfinished area where they attempted to do some reconstruction. "It looks deserted; what happened here?" Morrigan wondered. "Shh! Keep it down; they might be watching us and we don't even know it!" Rorschach warned.

Chris took cover behind a brick wall before he peered his head out to look. "Fuck!" he cursed. "What's wrong, Chris?" Jill asked. "There's a whole god damn convoy heading our way. We might be able to avoid detection if we stick to the shadows." Chris whispered. Jill took a peek and gasped as she saw the heavily armed NCR troops coming their way, along with a tank. The troopers were armed with machineguns and laser rifles, and wore nearly impenetrable armor that completely covered their bodies.

Jill hid back with Chris and sighed heavily; there was very little chance that they could sneak away without being noticed at this point. "Fuck! What do we do, Chris?!" Jill hissed. Rorschach did a quick observation before he finally found the answer. "Come on! This way...towards that old burned down building. Follow me!" Rorschach said calmly.

The others ran as fast as they could towards the old burned down building before they took cover in the dark, shadowy corners of the ruins. "Sit tight you guys; let them pass! They still don't know we're here, so let's keep it that way." Chris whispered as he hid underneath of a ruined couch. Jill held her breath as she leaned back against a wall, while Morrigan and Wolverine laid down on the floor next to a broken window. Rorschach took cover behind a wall next to an old grandfather clock. Slowly, one by one, the NCR troopers marched past the building.

But as soon as the tank finished rolling by, the grandfather clock suddenly began to chime. "Damn it!" Rorschach cursed. Morrigan gasped, but Wolverine held her close to calm her down. "Shh...don't make any sudden moves!" Wolverine shushed. Morrigan blushed as she felt his arms wrapped around her waist, but she nodded. A couple of NCR troopers walked over towards the broken window, as one of them heard the sound of the grandfather clock. "What the hell was that noise?" an NCR trooper cried. "Knock it off, man. It's probably just a rat or some shit. Let's get moving; the execution is in 20 minutes!" another snapped. "All right, all right! I'm just nervous; I hate this fucking place, that's all!" the first NCR trooper complained. "HEY! You two got anchors in your asses? Get over here!" the apparent leader of the group shouted.

Chris and the others sighed in relief as the NCR troopers marched out of sight. "That was too close!" Chris sighed. "Yeah, it was...good thinking there, Rorschach." Jill complimented. "You heard what the man said; the execution is in 20 minutes. We gotta get moving! Is there another way towards the execution area without being noticed, Chris?" Rorschach grumbled. "Yeah, it's this way...follow me. But keep it quiet; there might still be more troops out there!" Chris replied as he got up from underneath the couch.

Meanwhile; Spawn, Snake, and Fawkes were sneaking through the sewers in search of a way up to the surface. "Are we there yet?" Fawkes said. "Not yet; Lanius said to keep going this way!" Snake insisted. "I wonder what's become of our friends?" Fawkes said out loud. "They'll be fine; it's Batman we need to worry about!" Spawn grumbled. "Hold it; stay put you two...I think there's trouble ahead!" Snake said as he held his hand up. Snake snuck ahead and took cover behind a crate. As he peeked his head from out of the corner, he saw at least 2 armed NCR guards standing in front what appeared to be an elevator. "Huh...that has to be the way up. Now how in the world am I going to get past those two guards?" Snake muttered to himself.

Snake pondered for a moment before he made his move. He quickly dashed to another wall before he took a deep breath and knocked on the wall. The sound was loud enough for one of the guards to hear. "Huh? What was that? Is somebody there?!" the guard announced as he came marching towards Snake's direction. "Man, you must be losing it. We've been down here for hours and there ain't nobody here!" the other guard smirked. Snake slowly moved down the wall to avoid immediate detection, but drew out his combat knife just in case. "I swear, I thought I heard something here." the first guard said. "It's probably just another sewer rat. Look, I'm gonna go take a piss. Try not to get yourself killed, ok rookie?" the other guard snapped as he began walking away.

Snake prepared himself as the guard came walking towards his direction. Finally, just when the guard appeared to give up and began walking away, Snake grabbed him from behind and held him in a head lock. The guard gasped at the sudden attack and grew frightened as he felt a knife to his throat. "Speak...or I'll cut your throat! Where does that elevator lead?" Snake growled. "I can't tell you that, man...they'll kill me if I talk!" the NCR guard whimpered.

Snake pressed the knife to the guard's throat, making him cry out as he felt the sharp pain of steel pressuring his skin. It wasn't enough to cut through, but he could sure feel it. "Well I'll kill you if you don't tell me! Now let's try this again; where does that elevator go? Up? Down? Answer me!" Snake snarled. "It goes up! Up into the NCR HQ in the center of Empire Plaza! But I wouldn't even think about going up there if I were you; there's hundreds more of us guarding the place. The only way you could get around without being noticed is if you were one of us!" the guard finally admitted.

Snake smirked as he said that, getting an idea. "Well, then...it looks like you're getting a promotion then rookie!" Snake sneered before he twirled around and pinned the guard to the wall. "Please! Don't kill me; I've got kids!" the man begged. "Don't worry, kid...I'm not going to kill you. I'm just going to borrow your uniform, that's all." Snake replied. "Wait, what?!" the guard exclaimed. Snake then turned the guard around and put him in a headlock. He began chocking him out. After a few seconds he lost consciousness and Snake released him. As the guard fell to the ground, Snake quickly dragged his body away into a dark corner.

A few minutes passed before the other guard came over towards the elevator. "Shit! I knew I shouldn't have let that rookie stay here alone. Hey, rookie?! Where'd ya go?" he shouted as he shined a flashlight. Suddenly, another NCR trooper walked out from the corner, acting all casual. "Oh! There you are; you scared the crap outta me. What were you doing? Did you find out what spooked ya?" the guard replied. The other guard said nothing, but he motioned for him to follow his lead. "All right, I'll humor you. What is it?" the guard sneered as he approached him.

Suddenly, the NCR trooper grabbed the other guard and slammed his head against the wall and knocked him out cold. "Well...it's a good thing you guys are as gullible as they come!" Snake smirked before he walked away. He heard footsteps nearby. There must be a third guard coming that he didn't see. He went back into the shadows, leaving the body of the other guard where it was as bait.

The third guard rounded the corner and saw his comrade knocked out. "What the hell!? Hey! What's going on?!" The guard ran over to the guard. Snake jumped him after the guard passed by him, putting him in a headlock and chocked him out. Dropping the unconscious guard, he dragged the two bodies to the same spot where he hid the first guard.

Snake, with his new disguise, now began to carry out his next plan. As he approached Spawn and Fawkes, the two grew quite aggressive before Snake removed his NCR helmet and revealed himself. "Take it easy, you guys...I've got an idea!" Snake announced. "It better be, because you sure took your damn time!" Spawn growled. "There's an elevator that leads up to the NCR HQ, right in the center of Empire Plaza. That's where Batman is being executed. While you two go up there and make some noise, I'm going to use my disguise to blend in and find Batman. After I free him, I want you two to meet me back around the elevator. Got it?" Snake instructed.

Spawn nodded his head, while Fawkes began laughing triumphantly. "I hate to admit it, but that's a pretty good plan you got old man!" Spawn said with a smirk. "YES! Finally, some action...I can't wait to properly introduce myself to this NCR!" Fawkes laughed. Snake grinned before he put his NCR helmet back on and led the two towards the elevator.

As they got inside of the elevator, an NCR radio attached to Snake's disguise went off. "Uh-oh!" Snake muttered. "Well, aren't you going to answer it?" Spawn demanded. "Don't make them suspicious just yet, Snake! We want the element of surprise...right?" Fawkes added. Snake sighed as he nodded his head and answered the radio. "Yeah, this is Private...Aaron." Snake said as he quickly observed the NCR name tag on his disguise. " _Listen up, Private Aaron. Orders are coming from the boss; we've got infiltrators somewhere here in Empire Plaza. You and Private Ackerman get your asses back up here on the double. We're gonna find these bastards and we're gonna make them pay!_ " a harsh voice commanded. "Roger that; we're coming your way!" Snake replied. " _Good...you keep this up, and you'll get that promotion in no time!_ " the voice responded back.

Spawn couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, I think they're all going to get a little promotion...in the afterlife!" Spawn said as he drew out his Agony Axe. Fawkes cracked his knuckles and snickered. "Remember the plan, guys!" Snake reminded. "Yeah, yeah! Kick ass, then wait for you to save Batman, then make our escape through the elevator. We got it!" Spawn grumbled. "Don't get too overconfident; something tells me that they're not going to hold back on you guys." Snake warned. "Good...then neither will we!" Spawn retorted. "All right; this is it! Get ready!" Snake announced as he saw that they were coming close to their destination.


	17. A Difficult Choice!

**Chapter 17: A Difficult Choice!**

* * *

Snake, Spawn and Fawkes took the elevator up into the NCR HQ. Spawn and Fawkes readied their weapons, ready to wreak some havoc. "All right, we're almost there. You two ready?" Snake asked. "I've been ready for this." Spawn responded. "Yeah, this will be fun!" Fawkes added. "Just stick with the plan and we should be fine. I'll infiltrate inside and find Batman. Until then, you two go nuts." Snake reminded.

The elevator opened up and they were in the HQ. Snake moved forward to where prisoners were being held. Spawn and Fawkes split up and attacked the base from different sides. Fawkes opened fire, shredding NCR troops with his Laser Gatling Gun. Spawn started gunning down troops with his assault rifles until he ran out of ammo and resorted to chopping them into bits with his Agony Axe.

A heavy shocktrooper attempted to hack Spawn from behind with a chainsaw, but Spawn used his Agony Axe to block the attack before kicking him away. "Come on fuckers! Fight me!" Spawn shouted. "RRRAAAAAAAAA!" Fawkes roared as he blasted away with his Laser Gatling Gun. "Come on, troops! Don't give up; they're only two guys, we're an entire elite force! FIGHT!" the heavy shock trooper shouted.

Amongst the gunfire, explosions and chaos, Snake snuck into the holding cells. To his surprise, he didn't see any guards yet. Venturing further, he came across an even more shocking sight. He saw a hallway full of knocked out guards. Stepping over the bodies he found Batman's cell. But it was already open, and Batman wasn't there. It was clear that he didn't need any help escaping, and broke out by himself. "Unbelievable!" Snake grumbled.

On one hand, Snake was glad that Batman escaped being executed, but he was also frustrated because now they were back to finding out where Batman was. "God dammit, Bruce! Why do you always have to be so clever?" Snake muttered to himself. He began making his way out, but eventually found himself confronted by Iron Man and Samus. "Snake!" Samus cried fiercely as she removed her helmet.

Snake groaned in annoyance as he saw them. "You two again?!" Snake growled. "Snake…just come with us." Iron Man calmly requested, looking to avoid any conflict. Samus, on the otherhand, just glared at Snake with menace in her eyes. "You better do what we say, David! This is embarassing enough as it is!" Samus growled. "Oh, sure! It must be really embarrassing that my team and I have gotten more done in a few days than your group has in weeks!" Snake snarled.

Samus clenched her jaw tightly, while Iron-Man shook his head. "That's not why we're-" he began. "The Insurgency is a disorganized mess! You need to get your shit together before I even consider working with you again!" Snake said. "That's enough; don't make this harder than it needs to be!" Samus warned.

Snake scoffed at her, further angering the bounty huntress. "Actually I'm the one that'll be saying that today. You two don't make this harder than it needs to be! Get out of my way or I'll ram right through you!" Snake threatened.

Samus' glare grew fiercer as he said that. "You're really pushing it, David Hayter!" Samus snarled. "I've got a mission to do, and neither of you are going to stop me! I may have handed myself over last time, but not this time!" Snake snapped. Iron Man sighed in frustration. "I guess peace talks are over. If you won't come quietly, then we'll have to drag you back by force." Iron-Man said as he powered up his suit. "Then what are you waiting for?! Go ahead and try it!" Snake barked.

Samus opened fire with her Plasma cannon, with Snake rolling into cover behind some crates. Iron Man flew over to flank Snake, but Snake was ready for him and smashed a crowbar against his helmet, stunning Iron Man. He grabbed Iron Man and slammed him into a wall, kicking him in the face as well. Iron Man shot a blast from his hand but Snake avoided it.

Samus rushed him and attempted to punch him with her arm cannon. Snake saw her out of the corner of his eye and grabbed a hold of her arm, flipping her over his shoulder by using her momentum against her. Iron Man came from the side and shoulder bashed Snake and knocked him back. Snake landed near an unconscious guard and grabbed a shotgun from him.

He knew that the shots would not penetrate Iron Man's armor, which he didn't want anyway. He wanted to neutralize the two non-lethally. But he knew the sheer force of the shotgun blast would stagger him. Iron Man began walking over to him, seeing he had a shotgun. "Snake you know that's not enough to hurt me." Tony bragged. "I do." Snake said and opened fire.

Iron Man went through the first blast, but each blast after that knocked him back a bit. After running out of shells, Snake charged Iron Man and hit his mask with the butt of the shotgun. With the previous shots damaging his mask, Snake was able to knock it off completely, surprising Tony.

Stark punched Snake in the face and went for another punch. Snake blocked that one and elbowed Stark's nose. Samus stepped in and punched Snake in the gut. Snake reeled back a bit, but caught Samus off guard with an uppercut to the chin. Samus looked furious that he had struck her. "You son of a bitch!" She shouted. "I meant what I said. I'm not going to let you two stop me!" Snake snapped back.

She tackled him to the ground, and attempted to smash his face with her fist. Snake moved his head out of the way just in time, and her fist put a dent in the floor. He wrapped his hands around her head and head-butted her to get her off, and then rolled back to his feet. He rolled back once more to create more distance between his foes. He looked back at Samus and was shocked to see she had fully charged her plasma cannon.

Lifting up an unconscious guard, he used it as a human shield as Samus blasted her cannon. His shield took the brunt of the damage, but he was knocked far back with his shield to say the least. It goes without saying that the body was now a corpse. As Snake got back up from the ground, he saw Samus aiming for him once again. But before she tried anything, Iron Man stepped in and stopped her. "What the hell are you trying to do, kill him?! We're trying to bring him back alive! I know you've been upset with him since he dumped you, but that's no reason to kill him!" Tony reprimanded her.

Samus ignored him and tried to move towards Snake. "Stay back, Stark! I'm gonna fry that treacherous bastard if it's the last thing I do!" Samus snarled. "God damn it, Samus! We have more important things to worry about than petty jealousy issues; stop letting what Adam Malkovich did to you control your emotions!" Stark blurted out.

Samus' eyes widened with rage as he said that. As she stood in front of Tony, something snapped inside of Samus. "What the fuck did you just say to me, Stark?!" Samus seethed. "Samus...I'm sorry. But you know it's the truth; ever since you joined our group, you've been giving every man on our team the stink eye. Now I'm sorry about what he did to you, but-" Stark continued.

The mere mentioning of that heartless bastard's name made her furious. Painful and traumatic memories flashed back in her mind, things that Samus fought long and hard to forget. The memories of Adam Malkovich welcoming Samus into the Galatic Federation...only to find herself hypnotized by Adam and turned into his own personal sexual plaything, as well as any other person who was willing to pay. "Shut your god damn mouth! SHUT UP!" Samus screeched furiously. She then blasted him point-blank with the plasma cannon, nearly killing him. He was launched through a wall from the impact and rubble fell on top of him. He was out of the fight without a doubt.

Snake was horrified and enraged to see what she did. There was no doubt about it, she had gone off the deep-end. She was going to kill him if he didn't kill her. "You! You made me do this! This is all your fault!" Samus screamed at Snake. She began shooting barrages of plasma at him. "Samus! Stop this!" Snake pleaded. "I hate you, you fucking bastard!" Samus shouted as she kept blasting at Snake. "Samus, don't make me do this!" Snake begged as he took out his Assault Rifle, loaded with armor piercing rounds."GO TO HELL!" She roared and shot a missile.

She saw Snake step out of cover and fired a round before the rocket exploded. Smoke fogged up her vision, she waited for it to clear to see if Snake was still alive. Unfortunately for her she didn't have to wait long, as Snake rolled through the smoke and ended up right in front of her with his rifle at the ready. Samus gasped as Snake aimed his assault rifle at her. "I'm sorry, Samus." Snake whispered as he shot six rounds into her chest.

The bullets ripped through her armor and went into her chest. She coughed up blood and fell to her knees. She reached her hand out to Snake weakly, groaning in pain. "David...how could you do this...to me? I...I...I love you!" Samus sputtered. Snake sighed heavily and sadly as he took out his SOCOM pistol and aimed at her head. "I thought I loved you too, Samus. I really did...I'm sorry!" Snake whispered before he pulled the trigger. Snake didn't even flinch as blood splattered on his face, or even with Samus laying on the ground dead; her brains spilling out all over the floor.

Snake felt immense sorrow come over him. He had been forced to kill an old friend and former lover. He looked down at her corpse, grief filled his body. "God damn you, Samus! Why did you make me do it?!" Snake clenched his fist and it shook furiously.

He realized that there was no time for mourning right now. He had to meet back with Spawn and Fawkes. Before he took off, he checked on Iron Man. "Stark! You alive?" He asked. "Yep…I'm still kicking." he answered hoarsely. He was too injured right now to get up, however. "Are you going to be okay?" Snake asked. "Yeah, my suit is patching me up as we speak. I'll be fine." Tony assured. "Tony...I'm sorry." Snake began. "Don't! You were right…the Insurgency is has too many problems right now for us to deal with Wesker. I didn't think we'd have people willing to turn on their own friends." Tony interrupted, referring to Samus.

Tony and Snake looked at each other in grave silence. Finally, Stark spoke. "Look...I'm sorry. Really, I am! She told me about what happened, and I promised I wouldn't say anything-" Tony began. Snake held his hand up to stop him. He took a deep breath before he spoke up again. "I've always known about Samus' past, and not just about her home planet being blown up. I guess...I didn't want to hurt her anymore than she already was. And now look at what I've done!" Snake said bitterly.

Tony could see the grief in Snake's eyes and tried to console him. "Snake. You did what you had to do. I don't know what happened to her, but she went berserk and became a danger to everybody. And honestly I don't think most of the team would be able to put her down. They just don't have the stomach for it." Tony admitted.

Snake just remained silent. "Now get out of here! Go meet up with your team." Tony cried. Snake nodded his head and left the building. As Snake left, Tony's codec rang. "Yeah? What is it?! I'm a little busy here!" Tony snapped. "Hey, Tone? We've got a problem!" Captain America said with worry in his voice. Tony couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, well...what else is new?" he smirked.

Meanwhile, Spawn and Fawkes had completely cleared out the NCR troops. During the fight, it got to the point where several NCR troops became smart enough to flee the area, even if it went against their superior's orders. Now they were waiting on Snake. "Where the hell is he?! He should be out by now!" Spawn growled impatiently.

Just as he said that, they spotted Snake walking over to him. The two noticed how miserable he looked. "Snake! You're back!" Fawkes smiled."Yep." Snake simply responded. "Where the hell is Batman?!" Spawn asked. Snake let out a heavy sigh of frustration. "He's not here…he escaped on his own." he said simply.

The answer angered Spawn greatly. "FUCK!" he shouted as he punched a wall. "Spawn! Calm down!" Fawkes said. "No! I've waited long enough in searching for Batman! I don't need him, and I don't need any of you! I can kill Wesker myself! I'm leaving!" Spawn snarled as he began storming off. "Spawn!" Fawkes shouted with irritation.

But Snake motioned for him to be quiet. "Forget it Fawkes. Let him do what he wants." Snake said, sounding completely jaded. Even Spawn was surprised enough to turn around. He expected Snake to try and stop him, negotiate with him. "What?" he demanded. "If that's what you want, go ahead and go. I won't stop you. Just go!" Snake snapped.

Spawn looked at him, somewhat curious about what happened in there to make Snake look like he was falling apart. But he pushed his curiosity aside and ran off.

After he was gone, Snake fell down to his knees out of despair, having that thousand-yard stare in his eyes. Fawkes became very concerned. "Uh, Snake?" Fawkes asked with caution.

A single tear rolled down Snake's cheek. His calm and collected attitude was gone, and he roared to the sky out of emotional agony. He let it all out as he screamed to the heavens. Spawn was far away from them, but the scream was loud enough to catch his ears. He looked back, conflicted by leaving Snake in that state. "What the hell is your problem, old man?" Spawn muttered. Regardless, he kept going.

Fawkes didn't like seeing Snake so upset, so he did what anyone else would do. He tried to comfort him. "Snake! Snake! Calm down!" Fawkes said putting a hand on Snake's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. It seemed to bring him back to reality, as Snake had stopped screaming. "Snake please! Tell me what happened in there." Fawkes said calmly.

Snake caught his breathe and began to calm down. "A friend I was once close to…I had to kill her…" Snake answered. Fawkes was very surprised to hear this. "Snake, I'm sorry. I had no idea!" he exclaimed. After learning what happened, Fawkes deeply felt for the man, but was determined to get his spirits up. "I know what happened was a painful experience…but we have to keep going. We have to remember what we're fighting for right?" he said wisely.

Snake had finally relaxed and stood up. "You're right. There are more important issues at hand. Thanks Fawkes." Snake said as he wiped his eyes dry. "No problem. That's what friends are for!" Fawkes said as he clapped his back. "I'm sorry about the outburst back there…I've had a lot of shit happen to me during my life, but I never wanted to complain about it, or burden anyone else with my troubles. So I kept it bottled up. I was going to burst sooner or later." Snake admitted.

Fawkes just shrugged his shoulders and laughed. "It's okay Snake. You're a human. And emotions are a good thing to have." he reminded. Snake smirked at Fawkes. "Hey, don't sell yourself short either. You may be Super Mutant, but you've got the heart of a human." he pointed. "Thank you, Snake." Fawkes smiled. Fawkes' smile suddenly faded. "Did you really mean what you said about letting Spawn go?" he asked more seriously.

Snake sighed as he shook his head. "No, I didn't really mean it. Whether he believes it or not, he needs our help. If he goes alone, he's going to get himself killed. While his anger may be a strong source for his power, it's also his biggest weakness. And I know that Wesker is aware of that, and I know damn well he's going to use that to his advantage. So let's get moving!" Snake urged.

Meanwhile Chris and his group had successfully snuck past the convoy and had a visual on Commander Oliver. "All right everyone, we made it. Good work." Chris said with relief. Before he carried out the next step of the plan, he went to talk to Jill. "Chris! What are you doing? We have a plan remember?!" Crimson Viper scolded. "Yeah, I know! Just give me a second!" He snapped back. "Hey Jill." Chris whispered as he touched her shoulder.

Jill wrenched herself away from him and pouted. "What is it Chris?" Jill she snapped as she crossed her arms. "Look, I know you're mad at me and you have every right to be. There's no excuse for why I've behaved the way I have. So I just want to say I'm sorry…I truly am." Chris said sincerely. Jill unfolded her arms as he said that. "Whether you accept my apology or not is your call. I just wanted to apologize now, because after this I might not get the chance." Chris continued. "Chris!" Viper shouted. "All right, I'm coming Viper!" Chris shouted back and took out a sniper rifle.

Jill was conflicted about Chris' apology. It sounded sincere, but a part of her was still angry with him. Chris went up to the sniping spot and aimed at Commander Oliver. But before anything could happen, a bullet shot Chris right in the chest. "Surprise! PEW-PEW!" Deadpool laughed as he grabbed hold of Chris from behind and shot him several more times.

Jill and the others were horrified to see this. "CHRIS! NOOO!" Jill cried as she saw Chris fall to the ground seemingly lifeless. "OH! SHOT THROUGH THE HEART AND YOU'RE TO BLAME! YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME!" Deadpool sung loudly and obnoxiously. "OH MY GOD! CHRIS!" Morrigan cried as she ran to him. "Wade! You sonnuva bitch!" Wolverine shouted and drew his claws out. "How could you?!" Morrigan screamed as she ran towards Deadpool to attack.

However before they could attack, Crimson Viper and Spencer turned on them as well. Crimson Viper kicked savagely at Wolverine with her Flaming Heel attack and subdued him, while Spencer grappled Morrigan and threw her into Jill and Rorschach. "Don't make a move, Logan." Crimson Viper ordered as she stamped her foot onto his chest. "You treacherous bitch!" Rorshach growled as he tried to get back up.

Spencer wouldn't allow him to move, so he grabbed hold of him with his Bionic Arm and pinned him to a wall. "Why are you doing this?! WHY?! Chris wasn't even in on this, was he?!" Jill asked angrily. "Well, obviously he wasn't! If he was, then I wouldn't have killed him!" Deadpool joked. "Wade! I don't care how strong your healing factor is! I swear to God, I will find a way to kill you!" Wolverine promised. "Finally! I was beginning to wonder if the real Logan would ever show up...hey, do you still have that unbreakable skull of yours?" Deadpool sneered before he aimed his gun at Wolverine's head.

Deadpool pulled the trigger and fired. Unfortunately, his action created disasterous, albeit humorous, results. The bullet bounced off of Wolverine's head and richochetted all over the place before hitting Deadpool in the ass. "OW! Yup...you still got it, old timer! Ow..." Deadpool yelped as he rubbed his sore behind. "Enough fucking around! You're all coming with us, Wesker's orders." Spencer said. "I knew that you couldn't be trusted; you're all the same...bloodthirsty mercenaries!" Rorschach growled. "Shut it, Walter! Don't make me do anymore damage!" Spencer snarled as he tightened his grip.

Suddenly they heard loud thumping sounds, and they continued to get louder. "What the hell is that?!" Crimson Viper shouted. To answer her question, The Hulk landed in front of the three traitors and roared at them with fury. "HULK SMASH WESKER'S PUPPETS!" the Hulk screamed. "Oh, shit just got real!" Deadpool shrieked and began shooting him. The Hulk growled as the bullets bounced harmlessly off him, and he kept trying to smash Deadpool with his fists. "RED MAN ANNOY HULK!" the Hulk shouted as he punched Deadpool away into Crimson Viper and Spencer.

Deadpool grunted as he was hit, but he got back up and pulled out a frag grenade. "Wade, what the hell are you doing?!" Crimson Viper screamed as Deadpool pulled the pin. "What does it look like? I'm giving grumpy here a tasty little snack! Bottoms up, big boy!" Deadpool cried as he teleported behind the Hulk and climbed onto his back. Deadpool was too quick for the Hulk and he plopped the grenade into his mouth, leaping away before an explosion took place. "YAY! I win, I win! Uh...what did I win exactly?" Deadpool cheered.

Suddenly, as the smoke began to clear, furious snarling was heard. "Wade...what did you do?!" Crimson Viper seethed. "Are you fucking insane?!" Spencer snarled. "Bub...you just made the Hulk even angrier!" Wolverine sneered. The Hulk's snarls intensified until he came stomping out of the smoke and towards Deadpool. "RED MAN ANNOY HULK FOR THE LAST TIME! NOW HULK WILL RIP OFF RED MAN'S HEAD!" the Hulk screamed furiously.

Deadpool nearly shat himself as the Hulk glared at him. "Oh, fuck!" Deadpool gulped. Wolverine suddenly grabbed Deadpool and practically threw him towards the Hulk. "Here you go, bub. He's all yours!" Wolverine smirked. "No, no, no! WAIT! I'm too pretty to die; I still haven't gotten to see my face on the big screen yet...or at least the good version!" Deadpool objected.

The Hulk growled ferociously before he grabbed hold of Deadpool and began smashing him around like a rag doll. "Ow! Ow! Ow! That's my leg! Ow! That's my kidney! Ow! That's my head! OW!" Deadpool cried out as he was continously smashed around. Eventually the Hulk threw him up into the air before whacking him with the back of his fist, sending him flying sky high. "DEADPOOL GOES BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" he cried as he disappeared into the night sky.

Jill and the others just stood there mouth agape and blinked. "I think now would be a good time to escape!" Jill suggested. "I think that's a good idea!" Morrigan agreed. Jill and her group ran off, but she turned to take one last look at Chris, a tear filling her eye, before finally running off.

Spencer attempted to fight against the Hulk, punching him square in the jaw. "All right, that's it! Now you're gonna get it!" Spencer snarled. It did nothing to the green juggernaut of a man, only making him furious. In response, Hulk grabbed Spencer's bionic arm and ripped it right off. Spencer screamed in howling agony as his Bionic Arm was ripped off his body. "AAAAUUUGGHH! Not again...I just got that put back on!" Spencer screamed. "HULK WILL BREAK MORE THAN JUST METAL ARM! HULK WILL BREAK YOU COMPLETELY!" the Hulk snarled as he slammed him into the ground.

Spencer then looked genuinely afraid. Crimson Viper threw a smoke grenade to obscure the Hulk's vision, and used that time to get her and Spencer out of there. When the smoke dissipated they were gone. Hulk looked around for them, but they were nowhere to be seen. He seemed satisfied, and went to search for Jill and her team.

As this happened, Snake and Fawkes heard all of the noise from a distance. "What in the world was that?" Fawkes exclaimed. "I think it came from over here!" Snake said to Fawkes as the went to wear all the commotion took place. "What the hell happened here?!" Snake asked as he looked at the carnage. Massive footprints, scraps of Spencer's Bionic Arm, bullet casings, and fresh blood. "Who's blood is that?!" Fawkes wondered. "Snake…" Someone weakly called out to him. Snake looked to see it was Chris, who looked mortally wounded. "Shit! Chris! We're coming!" Snake cried.

Snake and Fawkes ran to Chris, who was down but not out. "My God! What the hell happened to you?! Where are the others?" Snake cried as he helped remove Chris's combat armor. "I don't know...all I know is that...ugh!" Chris moaned as Snake helped remove his under armor. "Take it easy; we'll get you patched up in no time. Just take it slow and breathe." Snake shushed as he pulled out his portable medkit.

After patching up Chris' wounds, Fawkes gently helped Chris up to his feet. "There we go; good as new! You're lucky that armor of yours protected you!" Fawkes said. "Yeah...you still got pretty banged up, but that combat armor sure did protect you from fatal damage." Snake added. "I don't care about my well-being...all I want to know is whether Jill is safe or not." Chris groaned. "Hey! Wait a minute...you guys smell that?" Fawkes announced as he began sniffing the air. "What is it?" Snake asked. "I smell...ooh, that's nice!" Fawkes said as he grinned. "What is it, Fawkes?" Snake demanded. "I think it's perfume...yeah, it is! I think it belongs to that hot chick; Morrigan!" Fawkes said as he continued smelling the air.

Snake grinned as he shook his head. "Well, in the words of a famous cereal mascot...follow your nose!" Snake chuckled. "It's this way; come on! Mmm...it smells like a greenhouse full of flowers!" Fawkes said. "Jill?" Chris mumbled tiredly. "Take it easy, Chris. Just stay with us; we'll find them eventually. Don't worry!" Snake said as he helped Chris walk. As they continued their search for their friends, Spawn watched them from up above a roof top. Spawn decided not to abandon them after all, but also not to just jump right back in to join them. "I'd be better off providing them cover from here...just to be safe." Spawn muttered as he slowly crept after them.


	18. Reunited!

**Chapter 18: Reunited!**

* * *

It took them about 20 minutes, but Snake and his group eventually found Jill Valentine and the others making a camp on a hill that overlooked the city of Empire Plaza. "Hey! I see them over there on that hill!" Fawkes announced as he pointed. "Do you see Jill?" Chris asked now a bit more alert. "Uh, yeah...they're all there. They look kind of sad, though." Fawkes said as he used his sharp eyesight to look at them. "Well, why don't we go surprise them? I think they need something to lighten their spirits up." Snake suggested with a smirk. "Oh, kinda like a surprise party?" Fawkes said with excitement. "Sure, we'll go with that! Follow me." Snake said as he turned on his Cloaking Shield and led the way.

Meanwhile; a sad Jill Valentine was finishing cooking up a meal for everyone when Morrigan approached her by the campfire. "Hey, Jill." Morrigan said as she touched her shoulder. "Hey. Are you hungry? I'm making Desert Salad; it's pretty good stuff. A lot of protein!" Jill replied as she tried to sound cheerful. "Jill...are you all right?" Morrigan asked kindly. Jill sighed as she finished sprinkling salt on the food. "Why wouldn't I be? It's not like somebody that I cared about just died or anything. So yeah! I'm perfectly ok, nothing to be upset about!" Jill snapped trying to fight back her tears.

Morrigan took a deep breath before she spoke up again. "Jill...I'm sorry about Chris. I really am!" she began. Suddenly, Jill slammed her fist on the table and startled her. "Don't! Don't you dare! It wasn't my fault that those treacherous assholes killed him." Jill shouted before she burst into tears. "Oh, Jill. Please don't cry; it's ok, I'm here for you!" Morrigan whispered as she embraced and comforted her friend. "I'm so sorry! Oh, Chris...why did you have to go?! It should have been me!" Jill sobbed miserably.

Just then, Rorschach walked towards them. "Hey, is the food ready yet?" he asked. Morrigan glared at him to shut him up, hinting that now wasn't the time to interrupt. "Oh...hrm, um...I guess I'll just be going then." he mumbled. "No. It's ok, Walter. I'm sorry...here you go. It's Desert Salad with extra Brahmin meat." Jill said as she broke away from Morrigan's hug and wiped her eyes dry. But as she turned around to hand him the food, she gasped as she saw that there was nothing there. "Huh? What the hell?! I just put it there! Damn it!" Jill cursed.

Suddenly, laughing was heard from over at the tent that Jill set up. "What the hell? Who is that?!" Jill demanded as she grabbed her Beretta Pistol. "It might be desert scavengers!" Rorschach growled. "Take our food will you?!" Morrigan said angrily. But as they stormed over towards the tent, they were all surprised to see Solid Snake sitting at a table with Wolverine and Fawkes. "Snake! You're alive!" Morrigan cried happily. "What the fuck!? Where did you boys come from?" Jill exclaimed as she holstered her pistol. "Oh, well what a pleasant surprise. Hello Jill!" Snake said in an innocent tone. "You're up to something, aren't you? Ok, tell me what's going on here!" Jill demanded. "Uh, nothing's going on here. We're just minding our own business eating this delicious Desert Salad!" Fawkes said trying to control his giggling. "HEY! I was saving that!" Jill shouted.

Suddenly, a man walked through the tent flap and snuck behind Jill. "What the hell is going on here?!" Jill demanded angrily. "You know something, Jill? You really need to work on that temper of yours." Chris joked. Jill's eyes widened in shock as she turned around and faced him, her mouth agape. "Chris?!" she managed to say at last. "Hello, Jill. It's good to see you're still in one piece." Chris said more seriously. Jill's face turned angry as she clenched her fist, making Snake worry. "Get over here, now!" Jill demanded. "Uh-oh!" Snake muttered.

Chris did as he was told, when suddenly Jill punched him in the shoulder. "Ow!" Chris complained. "Chris...you shouldn't be alive. I watched you die; Deadpool shot you!" Jill said in disbelief. "Yeah, well...it turns out that Deadpool is a lousy shot. That, and I was wearing some bullet proof armor. By the way, you're a great cook. That Desert Salad you made sure hit the spot!" Chris replied. Jill stood there quavering in disbelief; she wanted to believe that Chris was here and alive, but she just couldn't seem to believe it was real. "How?! How are you still alive? And why did you come back?!" Jill demanded, angry tears forming in her eyes.

Suddenly, Chris grabbed Jill and held her in a loving embrace. "I meant what I said earlier, Jill. I'm sorry about my behavior. But now that I'm here, there's something that I need to tell you. Something that I should have told you a long time ago." Chris said kindly. "What?" Jill asked dumbfounded. "Jill Valentine...I love you. I always have and I always will!" Chris proclaimed passionately as he caressed her face. "Oh, Chris!" Jill wept before she kissed his lips. As the two passionately kissed each other, the others couldn't help but feel overjoyed for the two's reuniting. "Aww, that's so adorable!" Morrigan cooed with a twinkle in her eyes. "Human love is such a precious thing!" Fawkes said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

Snake smirked as he pulled out a cigarette, when his smirk faded into a frown. Seeing Jill and Chris reunite was a good thing, and while he was happy to see them happy...some rather unhappy memories began flooding his mind. He remembered how cold he was towards Meryl, he remembered her death, and he remembered the pain of failure; failure of enduring the pain that the sadistic Ocelot Revolver made him go through.

But then a new kind of pain hit him as he remembered what happened between himself and Samus. " _I hate you!_ " Samus screamed furiously. " _Don't make me do this, Samus!_ " Snake cried as he held his assault rifle, loaded with armor piercing bullets. " _GO TO HELL!_ " Samus roared. The sound of gunshots rang in the back of Snake's head, making him groan in discomfort. Morrigan noticed this and became worried. "Hey, Snake. Are you all right? Snake!" Morrigan said as she touched his shoulder.

Snake grumbled as he quickly got up from his seat and stormed out of the tent, gaining the attention of the others. "Where does he think he's going?" Wolverine said. "Probably just going out for a smoke; can't say I blame him. Probably been through a lot of stress!" Rorschach stated. "You have no idea, my friends. You have no idea!" Fawkes said gravely. "Snake, wait!" Morrigan cried as she chased after him.

Snake approached the campfire and plopped down on a log, smoking his cigarrete to try and ease his mind. Though he willed himself not to cry again, the fact that he killed Samus kept gnawing at him and made him feel like he could burst again at any moment. "Samus...I'm sorry…" Snake whispered to himself bitterly. "Snake! Hey, what's the matter? Why are you being this way? Is something wrong?" Morrigan asked as she approached him. Snake sighed heavily as he smoked his cigarette. "Everything's fine Morrigan. Go back inside the tent; you should probably eat something before we head out tomorrow." Snake said trying to avoid the situation.

Morrigan wasn't having it, and sat by him on the log. "Snake...look at me. What's wrong? You can talk to me; I promise to understand." she said sweetly. "I said that I'm fine, Morrigan. Now please go away; I need to be alone for a while." Snake said trying his best not to lose his temper. "Snake! What happened back there? Everything was fine until you had that tic; I saw it. Did something happen that upset you?" Morrigan pressed.

Snake tossed his cigarette into the fire before he stood up and faced Morrigan with an angry look on his face. "Morrigan, just drop it! Okay?" Snake growled before he began walking away. Morrigan was surprised by his sudden hostility, but this time she wasn't going to let her own emotions stop her from comforting her friend.

As she got up and walked after Snake, she noticed that he was holding his head as if he were in pain. Morrigan chose not to say anything, because she didn't want to make him any angrier than he already was. Finally, Snake stopped at the hillside that overlooked the city of Empire Plaza and sighed heavily as he stared blankly into the distance. Morrigan approached his side and took a deep breath before she spoke up again. "What you did back there for Jill? That was incredibly kind of you; you didn't have to do that, but you did it anyway." she began. Snake just sighed and looked away.

Morrigan surprised him by wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "You know something, Snake? I used to think that you didn't know a thing about love. But after seeing what you did for all of us, I was proven wrong." Morrigan cooed. "I'm just doing what I think is best for all of us. That's all there is to it." Snake argued as he tried to wrench himself away from Morrigan. However, Morrigan would not let him go. "Snake! What happened to you? You usually aren't this upset unless there's good reason to be. Was it something that Spawn said or did? Because if he did-" Morrigan began.

"No…" Snake interrupted her. "Spawn had nothing to do with it. This was my fault." Snake reluctantly explained. Morrigan stared at him disbelief. "What do you mean? What did you do?!" she demanded. Snake sighed heavily as he shook his head. "Samus…I killed her. She went off the deep end and was a danger to everyone. She almost killed Stark. If I didn't kill her there, then God only knows who else she would've hurt." Snake finally admitted.

Morrigan gasped as he said that. It's no wonder Snake was so upset. "Oh my God! Snake, I had no idea. I'm so sorry!" Morrigan said sadly. "Forget it, all right? What's done is done now and there's no use crying about it! Now let's just forget about this and move on, all right?! We have more important things to worry about." Snake snapped. Morrigan frowned as she hung her head low. "Snake? I'm sure that there was nothing you could have done to avoid the situation. I know that you're hurting, but there are thousands or even millions of people out there that are hurting even worse. We have to do what we can to save them or they'll die. Please; don't let the past hold you back. It's only going to hurt you even worse; believe me, I'd know." Morrigan said sweetly.

Snake finally seemed to calm down after she said that. Even though Fawkes said the same thing, there was something about a lady saying this that gave him a little more comfort and confidence. "You're right, Morrigan. I can't keep letting the past hold me back. We have to stay strong and stay together." Snake said feeling a little more optimistic. "That's my boy. Come on; let's head back with the others." Morrigan cooed as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder again. "Ok. If only the kid would feel the same way, though." Snake said as they walked back together. "You mean Spawn? He left you again?" Morrigan asked.

Snake nodded his head, to which Morrigan replied by sighing. "He'll come back. I know he will; he's not heartless like Wesker or any of the other abominations he's created!" Morrigan stated. "That's true. In fact, I'm willing to bet by tomorrow he'll probably come back for us. I'm sure of it!" Snake said with a grin. "Yeah; that's it. Think positively!" Morrigan said before she kissed him sweetly.

Later that night, Snake woke up to the sound of footsteps. He got out of bed and put on some pants before tiptoeing out of the tent. He carefully reached for his pistol, only to realize that it was Spawn sitting down by the campfire. Snake holstered his weapon before he approached the phantom. "Hey, kid. I was beginning to think that you wouldn't show up. You missed dinner!" Snake joked. "I can't eat or sleep, old man. I'm dead, remember?" Spawn retorted. Snake sighed as he sat by Spawn. "Listen, kid. About what I said back there-" Snake began. "Save it. You have your own reasons, and I respect that. Believe me, I know what it's like to lose something. You try hard to forget it and eventually you snap." Spawn said grimly.

Snake sighed as he rubbed his hand through his hair. "Yeah. The past can be very haunting, but what's done is done. It's better to let go of things before it drives you mad." Snake said. "How are the others? Are they safe?" Spawn asked. "Yeah...they're ok. What about you? How are you holding up?" Snake replied. Spawn replied by handing Snake what appeared to be a medal. "They got him; that crazy NCR Commander. The Legion swarmed him and the last of his men and killed all but the Commander himself. I watched it all happen; they fight like savages, but they ain't stupid." Spawn explained.

Snake snickered as he observed the medal. "Medal of Honor, huh? It sure was honorable murdering hundreds of innocent people, right?" Snake joked. Spawn couldn't help but laugh at his dark humor. "You're a funny guy, old man. I'll give you that. I watched as that giant helmet wearing prick stripped the NCR Commander to nothing but his skin and named every dark deed he did against the Legion. After that, they tarred him and feathered him before they forced him to march out of the city carrying his own cross. I say that bastard got what he deserved!" Spawn continued referring to Lagate Lanius.

Snake sighed as he shook his head. "War is Hell, kid. It never changes; it's always the same damn thing. People live, people fight, people die. Causes don't mean shit, and neither do ideologies or politics. Some people will fight for stupid reasons, while some people will send others to fight for stupid reasons. A lot of good men and women put their lives on the line for their country, but they're only seen by their government as tools, not people." Snake said bitterly. "Damn straight, old man. After the Legion left, I scrounged around to find if there was anything useful for us, but all I found were a couple of guns and that damn medal. You can have it if you want." Spawn said before he stood back up.

While Snake appreciated the thought, he knew that the medal stood for nothing. So he tossed it into the fire and watched it burn; this made Spawn very pleased. "It's just a waste of precious metal, kid. It doesn't mean anything to me." Snake said. "On that, we can agree. Go back to sleep, old man. I'll keep watch!" Spawn instructed. "Ok, kid. Thanks...for everything. I mean that!" Snake said as he smiled.

As Snake left to go back to the tent, Spawn couldn't help but feel even more respect for Snake. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had a lot more in common with him than he cared to think about before. It almost made him wish that he were a better man before his ugly transformation into a Hellspawn. As he looked over the horizon, he once again began pondering the thought about his purpose. "What is my purpose? Am I weapon...or a cure?" Spawn asked himself.

Back inside the tent, Snake decided to check up on everyone before going back to sleep. He peeked over at Jill and Chris, who were sleeping with each other all snuggled together. Snake grinned as he saw how happy they looked together. "You two deserve each other." Snake whispered. Snake then crept over towards Morrigan, who was sleeping next to Wolverine. Snake chuckled to himself as he bent down and gently caressed Morrigan's hair. "You're an amazing woman, Morrigan." Snake whispered.

Snake then checked on Fawkes, who was snoring loudly as he slept in a chair with a rifle in his hands. "Good ol' Fawkes; loyal to the very end." Snake said to himself with a smile. He finally checked on Rorschach, who was sound asleep at the table with a can of beans in his hands. Snake had to suppress his laughter at this sight. "Always thinking with your stomach, eh Walter? But you know what they say; your heart is bigger than your stomach." Snake said as he removed the can of beans from his hands before gently helping Rorschach up and put him on a sleeping bag.

After checking on everyone, Snake finally went to bed. After all the shit he went through these years, he finally found himself able to fall into a deep sleep.


	19. Batman Returns!

**Chapter 19: Batman Returns!**

* * *

Snake woke up feeling quite refreshed, due to finally getting a good night's sleep. As he got up, however, he noticed that things were a bit too quiet. "Hmm...it's quiet; too quiet. Something's not right!" Snake said as he put on his sneaking suit. After he finished suiting up, Snake stepped out of the tent and approached the campfire. The fire was put out and Spawn was nowhere to be seen. "Shit! He left without giving me any warning?! I should have...known?" Snake cursed before he noticed something even stranger.

Snake knelt down to the ground and noticed there were some footprints and blood splatters. Snake immediately realized that someone must have snuck into the camp to try and attack them last night, or at the very last try to spy on them. The blood splatter seemed a bit more obvious; Spawn caught them and either killed them or scared them off. "Well, whoever it was that was trying to sneak in here won't bother us anymore. But where the hell is Spawn?" Snake muttered as he observed the blood with his fingers. "Hey, Snake? What are you doing?" a female voice asked.

Snake turned around to see Jill Valentine facing him, wearing a nightgown. "Oh! Uh, hi Jill. You're up!" Snake said casually as he quickly rubbed his bloodstained fingers on the ground. "That really doesn't answer my question, Snake. Is there something going on that I need to know about?" Jill demanded. Snake sighed in frustration. "Ok, Jill...I don't want to alert the others just yet, but I have a feeling that somebody might have snuck up on our camp last night." Snake explained carefully. "Oh, I see. Any clues they left behind?" Jill said a bit more understanding. "No, just a bunch of footprints and blood on the ground." Snake replied.

Jill grew a bit more suspicious as he said that. "Ok, so why were they bleeding?" she interrogated. Snake couldn't tell her that Spawn was the reason, not now. "Maybe this guy just got finished with a battle and had a bad a wound. Maybe they were looking for medical supplies!" Snake lied. "Well, that's one good educated guess. I think maybe we should get going before they decide to come back, don't you think?" Jill suggested. "Good idea! Why don't you go wake up the others while I keep watch, in case they do come back?" Snake instructed. "Um, ok sure!" Jill said with a suspicious tone.

As she walked away, she couldn't stop thinking about how Snake seemed a bit off edge. "You're up to something, aren't you Snake? Oh well, I might as well drop it...probably just paranoid. But then again, this is the Wasteland we're talking about here." Jill muttered as she stepped back inside of the tent. As Jill woke up everyone else, Snake looked over the horizon with his binoculars. "Come on, kid! Where'd you go?!" Snake hissed.

A few minutes later, everyone approached Snake ready to move out. "Hey, Snake! We're ready to move out whenever you are!" Fawkes announced. "Yeah, let's go already!" Wolverine growled. At first, Snake didn't hear them. He was too focused on finding a clue where Spawn may have gone. "Snake? Snake!" Morrigan cried as she shook him. "What?!" Snake snapped. "What is wrong with you?!" Morrigan demanded. "It's nothing! I'm just scouting the area, that's all!" Snake objected. "You seem pretty tense about it, though. There something you gotta tell us?" Rorschach grumbled.

Snake sighed heavily as he shook his head. He knew that his group wouldn't stop asking him questions, but he also knew that the last thing his group needed was more problems. "Look, I just have a bad feeling. All right? It's nothing to get all worked up over. Let's just go, but keep an eye out for trouble." Snake said at last before he got up and started walking. Everyone else but Jill looked at him with confusion before they followed him. "What the hell is eating at him?" Wolverine wondered. "He has his reasons, I suppose." Fawkes added. "Maybe it's Wesker's forces...or raiders...or maybe something much worse! Who knows?" Rorschach suggested.

Jill remained silent as she walked up towards Snake, who seemed to grow more frustrated. After about an hour of walking through the desert wasteland, Jill finally couldn't take the awkward silence anymore. She had to know what was bothering Snake. "Ok, no more bullshit! What is it?" Jill demanded. Snake didn't answer Jill at first, which made her a bit angry. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" Jill snapped. "Shh! Get down; I see Legion troops!" Snake hissed as he grabbed her and forced her down behind a rock. "Snake! What's going on here?!" Chris demanded before Snake forced him down.

Snake motioned for the others to get to cover behind some rocks and remain silent, and it was a good thing too. An entire elite militia of Legionnaires marched right past them without even noticing them. "Legion? What are they doing all the way out here?!" Rorschach grumbled. "Looks like they just finished a battle or something." Fawkes whispered. "Wait...what is that?!" Morrigan gasped as she pointed. Snake got wide eyed as he saw it; a large wooden carriage full of captured NCR troops was being dragged by slaves. "Damn...maybe this is what the kid saw last night!" Snake whispered. "What are you talking about?" Jill demanded now angrier.

Snake kept quiet until the cart dragged by and the last of the Legion troops marched by. "It's Spawn, all right? He dropped by the camp last night, and he left earlier this morning before any of us woke up." Snake finally admitted. Jill frowned as she heard this. "You should've told us, Snake. There wasn't any reason for you to lie!" Jill scolded. "I'm sorry...I just didn't want to upset you guys. It was a pretty rough day for everyone yesterday, I didn't feel like making things worse." Snake said.

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard along with some screams. "What the hell?!" Snake exclaimed. "Guys, look!" Fawkes pointed out. A large group of heavily armored super mutants were seen running from the hills, blasting away at the Legion troops with laser rifles and machineguns. "Kill them all, but spare the prisoners. The boss wants fresh meat for his experiments!" one of the super mutants ordered as he incinerated a Legionnaire.

Snake and his group were upset to see this sudden act of violence, but they knew they couldn't do anything to save them. "We can't just stand here! We have to help them!" Jill began. "No, Jill. Not this time; those guys look too powerful to take on. Besides, even if we could kill one of them, all those people will be dead before we could do anything else!" Chris said gravely. "Those horrible brutes!" Morrigan exclaimed bitterly.

Fawkes just hung his head low in shame as the super mutants annihilated the poor humans. Snake saw this and felt compassion for his friend. "Hey, Fawkes?" Snake began. "It makes me sad to see my brethren behave in such a vile and cruel manner, my friend. But then again, they aren't exactly like me. Most super mutants have an unnatural hatred for humans, but they don't even realize that they themselves were once humans. It's almost kind of ironic, wouldn't you say?" Fawkes said in a depressed tone. Snake could only nod his head in agreement; he did have a good point there. "Just remember Fawkes…you're not like them."

In less than five minutes, the poor Legionnaire troops were either blown to pieces by machinegun bullets or reduced to piles of ash from laser blasts. As the victors of this supposed battle, the armored super mutants then snatched the NCR prisoners and carried them away one by one. Though for some reason, they also took the wooden carriage. "Return to base immediately! And make sure you keep those humans alive and in one piece; they are NOT to be eaten!" the apparent leader of the super mutants barked. "Yes sir! Come on, boys...the boss will be giving us a raise at this point!" another super mutant cackled.

Snake immediately got the idea that they should follow them. "I have a feeling that they might be working for Wesker. We better follow them!" Snake suggested. "Good idea, Snake!" Jill said. "Yeah, maybe we might have the chance to rescue those people too!" Fawkes added. "It wouldn't hurt to try. Let's go!" Snake ordered. But as they left to follow after the super mutants, they were unaware that they were being watched.

Much later that night, the super mutants made camp in a cave by the canyons. "Set those humans over there by the Brahmin pen. And lock that gate; I don't want to have to waste time chasing after them if they should try to escape!" the leading super mutant ordered. "I got it, I got it! None of these stupid humans will be escaping from us! Ain't that right, bone monkey?" a super mutant sneered as he practically threw one of the prisoners into a small empty space. "Who are you calling a monkey, you oversized gorilla?!" the NCR prisoner snapped. "Aww, how cute...they can talk! Do me a favor and SHUT UP!" the super mutant snarled as he backhanded the poor human.

This empty space was like a room within the cave, and could be blocked shut with a large object. The super mutants used a boulder to block that space, so that nothing could get out. "Nighty-night, bone monkeys!" the super mutant howled before he closed the room up with the boulder. "All right, get a fire going!" the leading super mutant shouted. A couple other super mutants began chopping up wood from the wooden carriage, explaining why they kept it. After chopping up the wood and making a fire, the super mutants began arguing about what to eat. "I'm hungry! And we ain't had any real food for 3 days straight!" one of the super mutants complained. "Yeah! Why can't we have some meat?!" another agreed. "Stop whining! Just stick to your rations; we'll eat something more filling when the job is done!" the leading super mutant snarled.

One of the super mutants attempted to sneak off, when the leader caught him. "HEY! Where do you think you're going?! You weren't planning on sneaking off to eat one of those humans, were you?" the leader questioned. "Maybe! What if I was?" the super mutant challenged. This caused the others to become excited, due to the fact that nobody dared to disrespect their leader. "Ooh, check it out! The grunt's challenging the leader!" one of the other super mutants sneered. The other super mutants hooted and laughed, only angering the leader even more. "I said it once before and I shall say it again; the humans are not to be eaten! PERIOD!" the leader shouted as he shoved the grunt. "Well, can't we just eat their legs? I'm sure the boss wouldn't mind!" the super mutant began. "You got Brahmin dung in your ears? I SAID NO EATING THE HUMANS!" the leader screamed as he got in his face.

Suddenly, a bellowing noise was heard. "What was that? One of you, go outside and see what made that noise!" the leader demanded. One of the other super mutants obeyed and stepped outside, carrying an assault rifle. What he saw brought delight to his eyes. "Hey, captain? Come on out here and check this out!" he cried. In an instant, the leader of the super mutants stepped out of the cave. "What is it?" the leader growled. "Look at that!" the super mutant grunt sneered as he pointed. The leader smiled evilly as he saw it; a large bull Bighorn. "Go get my hunting rifle!" the leader demanded. "Yes, boss!" the super mutant replied.

As soon as he got his rifle, the super mutant leader took aim and shot the Bighorn in the head; meat was back on the menu for these hungry super mutants. "You boys can stop bitching...because we're having meat tonight!" the leader announced. The super mutants cheered for their leader as he came back into the cave with the Bighorn dragged behind him.

From a distance, Solid Snake watched this with his binoculars. "Hmph! If they weren't 8 feet tall and had green skin, I'd say that those super mutants weren't any different from the normal human scum we deal with on a regular basis." Snake said to himself. "What are they doing? Where are those prisoners?" Wolverine asked. "They locked them up in a small room inside of that cave. But there's something else that bothers me about these guys!" Snake began. "What's that?" Morrigan wondered. "They have a leader of their group; and even call him captain! You were right, Fawkes...these guys are a lot smarter than normal super mutants after all." Snake finished. "Well, how are we going to get in there without being noticed?" Jill asked.

Snake was about to answer, when suddenly he heard screams coming from the cave. "Huh? What the hell?!" Snake exclaimed as he looked into his binoculars. But as he looked through, all he could see was thick smoke coming from the cave...and occasionally some flickering flashes of light. Snake grinned as he got an idea what was going on. "Good job, kid!" Snake whispered. He put his binoculars away before he stood back up and grabbed his assault rifle. "Come on, guys. Let's go!" Snake announced. "Ok, then. Lead the way!" Jill said. "Just like that?" Rorschach questioned. "Just like that." Jill replied with a smile. "But what exactly are we doing here?" Rorschach demanded. "Don't ask stupid questions, bub!" Wolverine growled.

Rorschach shrugged his shoulders and grumbled before he followed them. Eventually, the heroes arrived at the cave. But as they got inside, they weren't expecting to find such a mess...except for Snake. "Jeez! Look at this place; it's a mess!" Morrigan groaned as she looked at the still bodies of a few super mutants. There were many bullet casings on the floor, as well as burns on the ground and wall. "Hmm...it's a little too dark in here. Hold on!" Snake said before he pulled out a flashlight.

As he shined the flashlight, Snake and the others cried out in shock as they found a dead super mutant with his legs completely blown off and even parts of his torso were missing. "Damn! He sure seemed to enjoy making these assholes suffer...not that they deserved mercy, anyway!" Snake exclaimed. "Who? Are you talking about Spawn?" Jill asked. "Who else would it be?" Snake retorted. "Umm...guys?" Rorschach announced as he found something.

Snake and the others approached him, when suddenly Rorschach pulled something off the wall and held it in the light. Snake and the others gasped as they looked at its very familiar shape; it was a sharp piece of metal in the shape of a bat. "No...can it be?!" Wolverine exclaimed. "It is...he's alive!" Morrigan gasped. Suddenly, a loud scream was heard from deep within the cave. "That sounded like it came from somewhere deeper inside of the cave!" Snake said. "That's not all there is. Look over there!" Rorschach pointed out.

Snake shined his flashlight over at the spot where Rorschach pointed out and gasped as he saw a huge hole in the wall. "The prisoners!" Snake cried. Everyone began running towards the spot except Fawkes. "Uh, aren't you coming?" Snake asked. "I think it would be best if I stayed here. I don't think those humans would want to see me; I'll just keep watch, in case anything else happens! I hope you understand-" Fawkes said. "I got you. You stay here and guard the entrance; call me if there's any more trouble!" Snake replied. "And I will obey!" Fawkes said with a salute before walking off.

Snake and the others ran towards the room where the prisoners were being held; thankfully, none of them were harmed. "Ah! Who are you people?!" one of them exclaimed. "Please don't hurt us!" a female prisoner whimpered. "It's ok; we're here to help you! Are you all right? Is anyone hurt?" Snake said as he slung his weapon over his shoulder. "No... we're ok!" a third prisoner replied. "Any idea what just happened?" Rorschach asked as he helped untie the prisoners. "We saw him; he just emerged out of the shadows while those monsters were eating." the first prisoner explained. "Yeah...it was like, he was watching them and waited to attack or something!" the female prisoner added. "Do you know where he went?" Snake interrogated.

Another scream was heard from the distance. "He took the leader away; I don't know where or why, but I hope he makes him pay for what he's done to us!" the third prisoner said bitterly. "Well, I didn't think he'd give him a pat on the back if that's what you mean. You didn't see anyone else, did you?" Snake pressed. "No! It was just him...just the Knight!" the female prisoner explained. "Is that what they're calling him now?" Wolverine joked. "Hey, man...don't ever make fun of him, all right? They say he's evolved; gotten stronger and angrier since Empire Plaza was destroyed!" a younger male prisoner warned.

This got the attention of Snake and the others. "Evolved? What do you mean?" Snake questioned. "They say he's evolved into a knight of pure darkness and rage; something quite fearsome and intimidating. He's got skin like steel, eyes that shine brighter than the full moon, and his voice...good god, that fucking voice! It's like the voice of the devil himself!" the prisoner explained with fear dripping in his voice. " _Yup, sounds like Bruce all right!_ " Snake thought as he rolled his eyes.

Snake wasn't the only one who wasn't buying this story. "That's bullshit, man! Batman might be crazy, but he ain't that crazy!" another prisoner snapped. "It's true; I've seen him! You thought he was mean before...there's a new kind of mean in him, and all that Hellspawn's fault!" the young prisoner exclaimed. Snake widened his eyes as he said that. "What'd you say?" Snake demanded. "It's Spawn; Batman thinks that Spawn is the one that pushed him over the edge!" the prisoner explained. "I thought it was Superman that drove the Bat mad!" another prisoner objected. "All right, enough! Look, can you just tell me where Batman is?" Snake snapped.

All the prisoners shook their heads. "There was too much smoke. I couldn't see where he took the leader, but I know it was him! I could tell...I could tell!" the prisoner explained. Snake just shook his head before he got back up. "All right, then. Thanks! You're free to go now. Be careful out there!" Snake said as he helped the prisoners up. "Thanks...but we're just gonna lay low for a little while. We've been through a lot!" the first prisoner said. "Okay. Take it easy, now." Snake said before he left with the others.

As Snake and the others began to leave, they suddenly noticed that the screaming had stopped. "Huh! Looks like ol' Brucie took care of him!" Wolverine joked. "Logan, that's not funny!" Morrigan scolded. Snake ignored their fussing and approached Fawkes. "Hey, Fawkes? Did anything happen while we were gone?" Snake asked. "Nope; I heard some screaming a while ago, but decided to stay here like I promised. It eventually stopped! Everything ok with you?" Fawkes explained. "Yeah...so far, I guess. Still no sign of Spawn, though!" Snake said a bit disappointed. "He'll show up soon, I know it!" Fawkes encouraged.

Snake smiled a bit as he said that before he led the team out of the cave. By the time they were away from the cave, it was close to midnight and it began to rain. "Ooh! It's getting cold; maybe we should've stayed in the cave until morning, Snake!" Morrigan shivered. "Must you complain about every little thing, Morrigan?" Snake teased. But as he said that, he bumped into something. "Ow! What the hell?" Snake grunted as he hit something. "Everything all right?" Rorschach asked. "Yeah...I just tripped. Give me that flashlight, will you?" Snake replied.

But as he shined the flashlight, Snake cried out in shock along with the others at what they saw. It was the dead beaten and bloody body of the leader of the super mutants, tied to a large wooden stake. "What the fuck?!" Jill shouted. "Wait...what's that?! On his face!" Chris pointed out. Snake shined the flashlight on the super mutant's face and was horrified by what he saw; the super mutant's right eye had a nasty burn mark in the shape of a bat. "My God!" Snake gasped in disbelief. "He branded him?!" Morrigan exclaimed in horror.

Suddenly, a smoke grenade was thrown at their direction and blinded them. "GAH! It's a trap; don't breathe in the smoke!" Snake cried out as he covered his mouth. Everyone coughed violently as they tried not to breathe in the smoke while trying to find a way to escape. "Damn it! BRUCE, STOP IT! WE'RE ON THE SAME SIDE!" Snake shouted as he tried not to breathe in the smoke. " _Are we? Are we on the same side? Or are you just another group of terrorists?_ " a deep, distorted voice announced from the unseen.

Snake was able to look up and see a dark, shadowy figure looming over them on a rock. The young prisoner's description fit exactly what Snake saw before him; nearly impenetrable metal armor, blazing white eyes, and speaking in an almost demonic, distorted tone...it was Batman. " _Tell me something. Do you bleed? Because if you are working for the enemy...you will!_ " the Dark Knight threatened ominously. At first, Snake didn't know how to react. His last conversation with Batman wasn't the greatest, and he could only imagine what sort of hell he's been through all this time.

Finally, when the smoke cleared away, everyone was able to get a good look at the new and improved Batman. "Bruce! What the fuck did you do that for?!" Jill screamed angrily. Snake shushed her and motioned for her and the others to stand back. Snake slowly approached Batman, who didn't move an inch. "Bruce...I'm sorry about what happened before. Whatever Wesker did to you, it sure as hell wasn't right. I want him dead like everyone else does, but we have to do this for justice...not vengeance! You of all people should understand that!" Snake began.

Batman lunged off his rock and stomped towards Snake's face. " _I understand!_ " he said before he punched Snake away with a brutal force. Snake screamed as he flew back and tumbled into the ground. "No!" Jill cried. Batman ignored the others and flew towards Snake, forcing him up onto his feet. " _I understand that you are the leader of this little resistance. I understand that you're the one who's destroyed the Insurgency. I also understand that you're the one who killed Samus!_ " Batman snarled with rage before he punched Snake.

Everyone but Morrigan and Fawkes was shocked to hear this. "Wait, what?! You...you killed Samus?!" Jill exclaimed. "Why would you do that?!" Wolverine demanded. "You guys don't understand! We're wasting time-AAAUUGHH!" Snake screamed as Batman threw him against a rock. " _I let you get away with a lot of things, Snake. But this time, you will answer to me for your crimes_!" Batman shouted as he marched towards Snake to attack him again.

But before he could get any closer, Morrigan flew in front of him. "Stop it! Stop it right now; he's not your enemy! We're all on the same side!" Morrigan shouted. "Get out of my way! Don't make me hurt you!" Batman threatened. "I will not be dismissed by you, Bruce! You're going to listen to me, and you're going to listen to me now!" Morrigan cried angrily. The others soon joined her to help defend Snake. "Bub, I don't wanna have to do this...but you ain't leaving me much of a choice!" Wolverine growled. "This is wrong, Wayne. Even by your standards, this is wrong!" Jill cried.

Batman smirked deviously as he touched a button on his wrist. Suddenly, two large metal devices popped out of the ground and emitted a piercing supersonic shriek that caused the heroes to keelhaul over on their knees in pain. "AAUUGGHH! DAMN IT! YOU BASTARD...THAT HURTS!" Morrigan screamed. "Make it stop!" Chris shouted. Fawkes growled angrily as he grabbed hold of the ground before he suddenly unleashed a burst of brute strength. He yanked up a huge chunk of solid rock and tore it in half before he smashed them against the metal devices and stopped the supersonic noise waves.

Batman, not fazed in the slightest, glared at him. "You are starting to make me angry, friend...and I'm not so sure you'd like it when I get angry!" Fawkes warned. Batman pressed another button on his wrist, causing two turrets to emerge from the ground behind him. The turrets began firing chain guns at the heroes, but Morrigan was able to use her wings to shield them all from damage before she unleashed her Finishing Shower on the turrets and completely destroyed them. Batman grew angry and began charging towards the heroes to attack. "He's not stopping!" Chris cried. "Good! Cuz neither are we!" Wolverine snarled as he drew out his claws.

Yet another battle was about to begin!


	20. Batman vs Snake!

**Chapter 20: Batman vs. Snake!**

* * *

Snake got up just in time to see his friends battling Batman. "Damn it all to hell, Bruce! You're just as stubborn as the kid!" Snake growled referring to Spawn. But rather than rushing in to duke it out against the Dark Knight, Snake decided to sneak around and watch for any moments of weakness on Batman's part before striking him by surprise. He activated his stealth camoflage before slowly creeping his way around some rocks; all while watching the fight.

Wolverine used his speed and ferocity to try and subdue Batman, but Batman's upgraded armor protected him from harm and was able to endure his attacks. "You've always been full of yourself, bub! Now it's time to knock you off your high horse!" Wolverine snarled before he leapt into the air. But before Wolverine could lunge towards Batman to attack, Batman fired his grappling hook and snagged onto Wolverine before swinging him at several of the other heroes and knocked them back. " _Stay down!_ " Batman warned.

Wolverine jumped back up and roared ferociously before wildly charging towards Batman to attempt to finish him off. However, Batman threw a smoke grenade to the ground and appeared to vanish before Wolverine could even touch him. "Huh?! Where'd you go bub?" Wolverine cried. Suddenly, Batman threw a couple of strange metal devices at Wolverine's direction before he pressed some buttons on his wrist. A loud droning noise filled the air before Wolverine was forced on the ground, screaming as he struggled to break free of the powerful magnetic force that binded him. "Magnetic Pulse Charges. You're completely immobilized!" Batman sneered. "Bruce, stop it! You're hurting him!" Morrigan shouted as he flew towards him.

Batman ignored her and backhanded her away before throwing several explosive Bat-a-Rangs at her. Morrigan grunted as she was hit, but she wouldn't back down. She flew into the air to try and attack from above, but Batman grappled her by the legs with his grapple hook and slammed her back to the ground. " _Get down from there!_ " Batman cried. Morrigan screamed with anger as she fired several bursts of energy from her wings, but Batman's armor protected him from harm.

Morrigan rushed forward and kicked Batman multiple times, but Batman eventually caught her right leg and flipped her onto her back. To make sure that she wouldn't fight anymore, Batman grabbed both her legs and snapped them, making the succubus scream in howling agony. "YOU HEARTLESS BRUTE!" Morrigan shrieked. " _Be grateful that I don't do anymore damage to you, which is far more than you deserve!_ " Batman snarled. "HEY! Fight fair, you asshole!" Jill screamed as she fired a bazooka round at Batman.

Batman cried out as he was forced away from Morrigan by an explosive force, but luckily his armor protected his body from harm. "You want to play this game with us, punk?! Fine by me!" Chris shouted as he pulled out his flamethrower. Batman slowly got back up and appeared to smirk. " _Do your worst!_ " Batman challenged. Chris fired a huge streak of flames at Batman, but Batman's armor still protected him from harm. Even as Chris kept firing his flamethrower, Batman marched towards them before he grabbed the flamethrower out of Chris' hands and grabbed him by the throat.

Batman threw Chris into a rock before he charged towards him and began beating him with his fists. "NO!" Jill shouted as she sprinted towards Batman. She jumped onto his back and stabbed her combat knife into the back of his neck. Though it didn't kill him, it did disable Batman's computer scanners on his helmet and practically blinded him. Enraged, Batman grabbed Jill off of him and slammed her into the ground before attempting to stomp her head flat.

But just before he could kill her, Rorschach grabbed him from behind and threw him to the ground before beating him with his fists. "Get ahold of yourself, Bruce! This isn't like you at all! Why are you doing this?!" Rorschach shouted even as he beat him. Batman kicked him away and attempted to throw a bomb at him, when Fawkes suddenly tackled him to the ground. He grabbed Batman back up by the head and threw him a hundred feet away from the group, causing Batman's armor to become damaged as he scratched along the surface of the earth. "Stay away from my friends!" Fawkes thundered. Batman groaned as he struggled to stand back up, bits and pieces of his armor falling off of him as he did so.

Snake finally saw an oppurtunity to attack and took it. He rushed right at Batman before knocking him back down to his back with his roll attack. " _Gah! Where are you?!_ " Batman shouted with anger as he got back up and slammed his fist to the ground. "It's not like you to lose your anger like this, Bruce!" Snake teased as he grabbed him from behind. Snake threw Batman to the side, smashing him against a rock. The amount of force Snake used would have been enough to knock out a full grown man for several hours, but Batman's remaining armor was still surprisingly durable despite the damage it took.

Batman growled with anger as he tried to swing a punch at Snake, but because Snake was still invisible, he only looked foolish as he kept swatting at the air. As Batman appeared to tire out, Snake took the chance to repeatedly punch and kick at Batman before he finally subdued him in a brutal fashion. Snake kicked Batman in the shin, forcing him on his knees before grabbing his face and smashed it as hard as he could against the ground. The damage was enough to break Batman's helmet, revealing part of his face.

Not even done, Snake picked up Batman and threw him back down into the ground, this time hard enough to actually knock the wind out of him. As Batman laid on the ground gasping for breath, Snake deactivated his stealth camo and revealed himself. "Are you done now, Bruce? You had your tantrum, now it's time to grow the fuck up and stop this pointless fighting!" Snake scolded. "Why?! Just so you can get away with murdering more of the Insurgency? I'd die before I let you get away with this!" Batman snarled.

His voice was no longer distorted or demonic sounding, due to this helmet and voice changer being completely broken. Batman groaned as he struggled to get back up. Snake scoffed as Batman eventually got back on his feet and stood in an aggresive fighting position. "You're joking, right?" Snake said with a disappointed sigh. "I could do this all day with you, punk!" Batman spat as he put up his fists.

Snake shook his head before he stood in a defensive fighting position. "If you want to keep humilating yourself, fine by me! But you're only asking to get yourself hurt...or worse!" Snake warned. Batman shouted as he charged towards to attack, but Snake caught his fist before he flipped Batman over onto his back. "Please stop now! This is getting out of control; it's no wonder the rest of the Insurgency doesn't take you seriously. You need to set a better example to your team than this!" Snake lectured. "Don't you dare lecture me, you murderous traitor!" Batman snapped as he swept his feet underneath of Snake and tripped him onto his back.

Batman then got on top of Snake and began punching him in the face. Snake was able to force Batman off of him before he got back up to his feet. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Snake shouted. "This ends now!" Batman shouted back as he threw a smoke grenade at Snake. Snake cried out as he was blinded by the smoke, allowing Batman to savagely punch and kick him several times. Batman finally grabbed hold of Snake before he tackled them both off the edge of a cliff, much to the dismay of the others who finally caught up to them. "Snake, NOOOO!" Jill screamed. "Bruce, you bastard! What have you done?!" Morrigan exclaimed.

Meanwhile at the bottom of a dark cave, Snake and Batman woke up feeling sore and groggy. "Ugh...yeah, that was an effective plan all right!" Snake sneered with sarcasm dripping in his voice. Batman ignored him and got back up to his feet. Snake was about to get back up, when suddenly Batman fired his grappling hook up at a rock right above Snake. Snake gasped as he looked up and then glared at Batman. "You bastard! You wouldn't dare-" Snake began.

Batman smirked deviously before he pulled the rock down on top of Snake, crushing him. Amazingly, the rock didn't kill him. But even as it crumbled as it hit Snake, it hurt him greatly; giving Batman the perfect oppurtunity to finish him off. As Snake laid on the ground groaning in pain, Batman approached a massive drop and fired his grappling hook up at the cave's ceiling.

Batman then took a hook and harnessed it to the railing. Finally, Batman approached Snake, grabbed his ankles and tied them up before he began dragging him towards the ledge of the long drop. "You know something, Snake? I used to respect you! I looked up to you as a selfless man who was willing to do anything to uphold justice. But I learned a very important lesson as a boy, while I watched my parents die right in front of me!" Batman began.

Snake groaned as he tried to move, but Batman attached his ankles to the harness on the railing. "It's that the world is a cold, cruel place...and that you can't trust anyone. The only way people can understand you, is if you force them to!" Batman finished before he released the harness. Snake screamed as he felt himself being dragged up into the air at a frighteningly fast speed before he found himself hanging upside down, looking down at a dark and seemingly endless abyss.

Batman took a Bat-a-Rang and threw it at Snake, cutting him loose. Snake screamed as he fell down into the abyss, when suddenly Batman fired his grappling hook and caught Snake by the legs. Batman pulled Snake back up from the darkness, only to swing him around the cave and cause more damage to Snake before finally smashing him back down into the ground a few feet in front of him.

Snake cried out in anguish as he felt several broken bones and bruises throughout his body, but Batman didn't seem to care at all. Batman suddenly saw a skeleton with a sword stuck in it's chest and decided to improvise. He approached the sword and yanked it out of the skeleton before he began slowly approaching Snake. "I told you what would happen if you double crossed us, Snake. When I make a promise, I damn well keep that promise!" Batman growled as he held the blade to Snake's neck. Snake suddenly began laughing, making Batman angry. "What's so funny? Why are you laughing?!" Batman snapped.

Snake looked up at Batman with deep anger in his eyes, despite the fact that he was laughing. "What was the promise you made Martha?" Snake said at last. Batman nearly dropped the sword as he said that. "What? Why did you say that name? Where did you hear that name?!" Batman demanded. Snake said nothing at first, further angering the Dark Knight. "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?! WHO TOLD YOU THAT NAME?!" Batman screamed furiously. "Unlike you, Bruce Wayne...I was briefed before my mission." Snake said now more grimly than ever before. "What does that even mean?! How do you even know her name?! TELL ME!" Batman shouted. "You want to know? I think it's pretty fucking obvious, Bruce. I've always known; everybody knows! You have dead parents, we get it! But guess what? THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE IN THE WORLD WHO HAVE IT FUCKING WORSE THAN YOU DO!" Snake shouted angrily.

Batman didn't know how to react to that, but Snake wasn't even finished. "Look, Bruce! I know that what happened to you as a child was traumatizing. But believe it or not, I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. I lost many people that I loved...some of them killed by my own hands! But if you really think that killing me is going to solve anything, then go ahead. Kill me! I have nothing to lose...but just know that your parents would be ashamed of you; especilaly your mother, Martha! You're breaking your own promise that you made to her and your father by doing this!" Snake continued.

As he said that, Batman had a flashback of his parents being killed. He remembered every grim detail of that horrifying night; the dark, the cold, the gunshot, the blood, and the screams. But even after that, Batman remembered visiting his parents' grave. He remembered the promise that he made to them; the promise that he would never become like the murderous scum that took their lives. He remembered the promise that he would protect the people of Gotham by using fear against them, and the promise that he would NEVER give in to his own desire to murder someone...no matter how evil they were.

Batman dropped his sword and backed away from Snake, gasping in disbelief at what he had done. "No! What have I done?! Oh, God...I'm so sorry!" Batman exclaimed bitterly. Much to his surprise, Snake got back up and approached him not in a threatening way, but in a manner of comfort. "It's all right, Bruce. Believe me, I know what it feels like to keep all your emotions bottled up inside. I know what it feels like to finally let it all explode out, and I know now that it isn't ok to do that. Even I learned from that mistake! But that's all in the past now...we can't keep letting it hold us back. We need to focus on the present and the future, now more than ever!" Snake said calmly as he put his hand on his shoulder.

Batman finally seemed to calm down as he said that. "I...I don't know what else to say, other than I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" Batman said sorrowfully. "Like I said; it's all water under the bridge now. But we need to focus on fighting the real enemy; Wesker." Snake replied. Suddenly, Batman remembered something. "Right! Speaking of which...there's something very important that you need to know." Batman began. "Let's discuss it with the others once we find them. Now if we can just find a way out of this cave-" Snake said. "Say no more; I know these caves better than anyone. I've been able to keep a low profile by hiding underground in these abandoned caves. Follow me; we'll regroup with the others shortly." Batman explained.

In less than 10 minutes, Snake and Batman returned to the surface. But as they stepped out of the cave, they were a bit shocked to see piles of corpses laying around. "Damn! What happened?!" Snake exclaimed. "Super Mutants! It looks like Wesker must have sent his forces this way; we better find the others before they get into anymore trouble!" Batman instructed. "All right, then. You lead the way!" Snake replied with a wince. Batman noticed his injuries and pulled out a medkit. "Here, hold still...this won't take long." Batman said. "Thanks!" Snake replied.

After helping tend to his wounds, Batman led Snake back up the canyons where the others were supposed to be. But as they arrived, they were surprised to see their friends battling against several Super Mutants armed with powerful assault rifles and missile launchers. "I don't think we can hold them off much longer, you guys!" Fawkes cried as he took cover behind a rock. "We don't have a choice! Just keep fighting!" Jill shouted as she fired her pistol at a super mutant. "I'll eat your brains and drink your blood!" a super mutant snarled as he kept firing his assault rifle.

Batman and Snake rushed over towards their friends to try and give them a hand. "Snake, you're alive!" Morrigan exclaimed as she hugged him. "Wait, what the hell is he still doing here?!" Wolverine snarled as he drew out his claws. "Easy, Logan! He's on our side now!" Snake insisted. "Oh, yeah? Prove it!" Wolverine snapped. Batman responded by throwing a tear gas grenade at the super mutant horde, blinding them. "GAH! I can't see anything!" a super mutant screamed. "My eyes! They burn!" another super mutant howled.

Batman then lunged out from the hiding spot and began beating up the super mutants. With a mighty combination of speed and force, Batman cracked their skulls and crushed their limbs. "AUGH! He's killing us, boys! Retreat!" a super mutant screamed as he attempted to run away. "I don't think so!" Batman said as he threw a Bat Grenade at the fleeing super mutant. The super mutant was blown to pieces before he could take another step forward. As Batman approached his friends, they looked at him in awe. "You're welcome!" he said with a smirk. "Showoff!" Wolverine muttered.

Suddenly, thundering footsteps were heard coming their way. "Now what's wrong?!" Chris exclaimed. As everyone got out of their hiding spot, they were shocked to see a massive mech unit come marching their way, but it wasn't just any mech unit. It was Liberty Prime! "What the hell is that?!" Wolverine exclaimed. "It's Liberty Prime! But how?! Wesker destroyed it to make his Cyber-Demon army!" Snake said in confusion.

The massive robot stopped right in front of them, making the heroes very cautious. But just when things looked like they were going to get ugly, a shadowy phantom was seen marching towards them from the distance. "Is that...Spawn?!" Morrigan cried out in joy. "It is! He's back!" Jill said happily. "But wait...who are those people with him?!" Rorschach pointed out.

Right behind Spawn was Wonder Woman, Ghost Rider, Zero, Felicia, Chun-Li, Cammy White, Scarlet Witch, Raven, Iron-Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Martian Manhunter, and a whole army of Brotherhood of Steel troops. "My God! They actually found them!" Batman cried. "The Brotherhood of Steel! They're alive...but how? I thought Wesker killed them all!" Snake exclaimed in disbelief.

As Spawn and the other supers approached their friends, many hugs and tears of joy were shared. The only person who seemed to not understand what the hell was going on was Snake. "Snake! Look; our old friends are back! Isn't this too good to be true?!" Morrigan sobbed happily as she held a purring Felicia in her arms. "Yeah...that's great, honey. Fantastic!" Snake said sarcastically. "Snake, what's the matter with you?!" Morrigan snapped. "What's wrong?! Ok, first of all...where the hell where all of you guys this entire time? And second, how is the Brotherhood of Steel still alive after all this time?!" Snake stated.

Suddenly, Spawn approached Snake. Snake glared at Spawn, though the phantom didn't seem moved one bit. "You care to explain yourself this time, kid? What's going on here?!" Snake demanded. "It's Superman; the old bastard is still alive!" Spawn stated simply. This shocked Snake greatly, as well as the rest of the others. "Wait! Hold on a minute...you're telling me that Superman, the guy who got torn to bits and pieces by that demon Belphegor...is still alive and in one piece?" Snake demanded. "This is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, Snake." Batman said as he approached him.

Snake sighed as he rubbed his temples. "Oh, I can't wait to hear this. All right; don't hold back on me. What happened?" Snake asked at last. "Why don't I explain things with the others, that way everyone can be briefed for our next mission?" Batman suggested. Snake chuckled as he caught the joke. "All right. Fine; let's do this!" Snake replied.


	21. A Horrible Revelation!

Chapter 21: A Horrible Revelation!

* * *

Batman led Snake and the other heroes towards the leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, Sarah Lyons. She was a tall, blonde woman with a no-nonsense attitude. Ever since she was a young girl, her father raised her well to become a great and noble fighter for the Brotherhood of Steel. "Well, these must be those trouble makers that the NCR kept talking about. It's nice to finally meet you all. I can't tell you how much of a help it's been now that you've crippled the NCR's Main Headquarters." Lyons began. "It's always a pleasure to fight for justice, miss." Snake introduced.

Snake shook her hand, though he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of hers. Her eyes were beautifully blue, like a certain space huntress. "Is there something wrong?" Lyons asked suspiciously. "Oh! Uh, no... nothing's wrong at all. It's just that-" Snake began. "What? You weren't expecting a woman to lead an army of some of the strongest and most well-disciplined soldiers in American history?" Lyons scolded. "No, not at all! You just remind me of someone I once knew, that's it." Snake admitted with slight embarrassment.

Lyons laughed at him as she shook her head. "You're a funny guy, I like you. But unfortunately, this is no laughing matter. We're all that's left of the Brotherhood." Lyons said sadly. "Wesker, I'm assuming?" Snake suggested as he crossed his arms. "Yeah...he's the bastard that betrayed us and nearly destroyed the Brotherhood of Steel. My father...he...he didn't trust Wesker so much; he always said that he had the look of an opportunist in his eyes, and the tongue of a serpent. So it really shouldn't be any surprise that he murdered him after he unleashed one of those horrible abominations to destroy our base. I was so lucky to have survived that day!" Lyons recounted.

Snake sighed as he nodded his head. "Well, now that we're here...we'll be sure to make sure that Wesker pays for all the evil he's done." Snake stated. Lyons smiled as he said that. "I appreciate that, I really do. It's nice to actually see that some people still have a code of honor." Lyons said. "Look, not to interrupt or anything, but I thought we were in a hurry!" Spawn snapped. "Kid, take it easy!" Snake hissed. "No, he's right. We've wasted more than enough time! Wesker is back at his newly established base along with the Enclave, and we need to take action right now while we still have that chance!" Lyons said. "Wasn't there something that you wanted to tell us, Bruce?" Snake reminded.

Batman nodded his head before he faced everyone. "I've been tracking Wesker down for quite some time now. Before I was captured, I kept a close eye on him with spy drones that I had set out around this Wasteland. But it wasn't until when Wesker and his forces finally captured me, did I discover something truly horrific." Batman began. "Well, don't keep us fucking waiting! Tell us what happened already!" Wolverine snapped. "Logan!" Morrigan scolded. Batman took a deep breath before he finally revealed to them the horrible truth.

 ***Flashback Sequence begins!***

In a blazing hot desert in the middle of nowhere, Batman led a small group of scouts towards a large heap of ruins. They were expecting to meet with someone regarding a very important and top secret mission. "Ok, we're here. You remember the plan, right? If anything happens to me, you know what you need to do." Batman instructed. "We got it boss, we won't let you down." one of the scouts replied with a salute. Batman gave a thumbs up before he approached the enormous metal gate, guarded by armed mercenaries. "HALT! Who are you and what the hell do you think you're doing here? This place is off limits!" one of the mercenaries barked. "It's all right; I'm being expected by your boss. Let me in!" Batman replied as he held his hand up.

The mercenary guards looked at each other before they nodded. "Wait right there, old man!" one of the guards said at last. In a few minutes, they climbed down a ladder and approached Batman. "All right, hand them over. Come on; arms up!" one of the guards demanded. Batman obeyed, as did his comrades. As they were searched and stripped of their weapons, they were unaware that they were being watched from up above. A drone of unknown origin was watching their every move. After they finished searching Batman and his scouts, the guards motioned some men to open the gate. "Ok, go on. But if you do anything stupid, you're fucking dead. Now move!" one of the mercenaries barked.

Batman nodded before he motioned his scouts to follow him. As they ventured inside of the ruins, they noticed that there were a lot of armed mercenaries. They all looked like they were on edge, as if waiting for something to go wrong. Batman didn't like this, but he knew that what he was about to do would obviously make people nervous. Finally, Batman arrived at a tent, where two large guard dogs sat at the entrance. The dogs growled at Snake, but Batman motioned for his boys to hold back and the dogs calmed down.

As Batman went inside of the tent, he saw an older man wearing orange and black battle armor standing by a large metal crate. "Slade Wilson! It's good to see you're still in one piece." Batman announced. "Barely! Now, about your end of the deal...you have what I need?" Slade growled. Batman reached for something in his pocket and held it out. It was a USB drive, containing top-secret information about Albert Wesker. "It's right here. Everything you want to know about Albert Wesker is in this hard drive. It has plans he intends to use against us, as well as other stuff we didn't even know about. We can use these against him and put an end to this war once and for all." Batman explained.

Slade nodded his head as he took the hard drive from Snake. "Perfect!" Slade said. "Ahem! I hope you haven't forgotten your end of the bargain!" Batman reminded. "Of course...but be warned, this shit is extremely dangerous!" Slade warned as he began typing a passcode on the metal crate. Finally, the crate opened up with a loud hiss and steam puffed out. Batman's eyes widened as he saw what was in the crate; large glass containers filled with toxic green fluids. "Necroplasm; the blood of the dead. There's enough of this shit to make yourself a personal army of Hellspawns. As if having one wasn't enough to begin with!" Slade said bitterly.

Batman reached out to touch one of the containers, when suddenly the sound of a gun cocking was heard. Batman and Slade grew very cautious as they turned to see who it was. Batman was shocked to find that the armed gunman was none other than one of his own scouts. "I'm sorry, boss...but I didn't have any other choice. He would have murdered my family if I didn't obey his orders!" the young scout said regretfully. This made Batman furious. "You god damn traitor!" Batman snarled. "What the fuck? How did you even get in here with that?!" Slade demanded.

Suddenly a loud noise was heard outside. It was the loud sound of gunfire and the whining whirr of drones. It turns out, Albert Wesker's forces had followed Batman's group into this rebel camp via a spy drone and now attack drones were shooting up the base. "God damn it! You brought them here, didn't you?!" Slade shouted. "Listen to me, guys. All we want is what's in that case. Give it to me and I'll give you enough time to escape." the young scout began. "Actually, I have a better idea!" Slade sneered before he pulled out a pistol and shot the scout in the face. "Go! Get the stuff outta here now! I'll see if I can hold off Wesker's drones!" Batman ordered. "Wait...you'll need this!" Slade said as he tossed Batman an assault rifle.

As Batman took the assault rifle and left the tent, he was horrified to see that several of Slade's men were already dead. Batman ran over towards a group of mercenaries hiding behind cover, while the drones continued to rain down machinegun fire. "Damn it! They're everywhere!" one of the mercenaries shouted. "Just keep shooting them!" another cried. "Aim for the center; that's their weak point!" Batman shouted as he opened fire at one of the drones.

As Batman helped the surviving mercs fight off the drones, Slade attempted to escape with the Necroplasm and hard drive containing Wesker's top-secret data. But before he could take another stop, an explosion from a drone's missle shook him off his feet. "GAH! Damn it; my leg!" Slade shouted as he was forced on his back. Batman saw this and ran towards his old ally to help him. "Come on, I got you!" Batman cried. "Argh...we can't stay here much longer, Bruce. His forces are going to overwhelm us!" Slade groaned. "I know that! You still have that hard drive? If we can't get the Necroplasm out of here, at least make sure you still have Wesker's data. We can't afford to lose that; I've already lost enough men to get that damn thing!" Batman growled.

Suddenly, the drones left the area. "Huh? They're leaving!" a mercenary shouted. "But why?" another asked. Just as they spoke, a hole in the steel wall of the ruins was blown. Several heavily armed men in black steel armor and plasma weapons came rushing into the base. "SHIT! Wesker's sent Enclave Shocktroopers; we've gotta move!" Batman shouted. "Hold them back!" Slade screamed as he fired a pistol at one of the Shocktroopers.

Tried as they might, Slade's mercs were no match against the Enclave Shocktroopers and they were blown to bits or melted by the heavy assault plasma weapons. In one final effort to fight back, Batman and Slade fought wildly against the incoming horde of Enclave. But despite their best efforts, they were eventually subdued by the Enclave. "No! You won't take me alive, you mother-" Slade shouted before he was knocked out cold. "SLADE!" Batman screamed before an Enclave Shocktrooper punched him in the back of the head and knocked him out.

Much later, Batman woke up in a dark dungeon deep underground. Batman tried to move, but he found himself hanging on the wall in chains. "Damn it!" Batman cursed. He looked around and was horrified to see that he wasn't the only one; Slade Wilson and his men who survived the drone attack were imprisoned as well. "What happened to you?" Batman cried. "Same as you; we were betrayed and overwhelmed by Wesker's forces." Slade groaned.

Suddenly, the sounds of a large steel door opening were heard. Several heavily armed Enclave troopers came into the room and aimed their weapons at Batman and his group. "Get them off their chains; quickly! Wesker wants to deal with them personally." one of the Enclave troopers announced. As they were roughly freed from their shackles, Batman dreaded to think of what Wesker would do with them. "Do your worst, you bastards!" Batman snarled before he spat at one of the troopers. "Silence! You should be grateful you ain't even dead yet, asshole!" a trooper shouted as he punched Batman in the face.

Batman and his friends were dragged away into another dark room before they thrown down into the floor. The only thing inside of this large empty room was a table full of a razor sharp instruments of torture and a strapping chair. "What's going on here?!" Batman demanded. "I don't know!" Slade groaned. Finally, along with several other Enclave troopers, Albert Wesker came into the room armed with a shotgun. "Well, well, well...look at what we have here. A couple of thorns I can finally release from my side!" Wesker sneered as he paced around the room like a vulture. "Wesker!" Batman snarled.

Wesker snickered evilly as he approached one of Slade's soldiers. "Such a shame that it has to end this way! You all could have been on my side!" Wesker sneered. "Leave my comrades alone, asshole!" Slade shouted. An Enclave trooper kicked him in the stomach and made him cry out in pain. "Shut up! Don't you dare disrespect our lord and emperor!" the trooper snarled. "Fuck you and your emperor!" one of Slade's men shouted as he tried to stop him from further hurting Slade.

Wesker stopped him by shooting him in the head with his shotgun. Wesker then killed all the other soldiers, leaving only Slade and Batman alive. As he watched his comrades die, Slade became even more furious. "DAMN YOU, WESKER!" Slade roared. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Batman shouted furiously. Wesker kicked him in the face and made him groan in pain.

Wesker then motioned his men to force both Batman and Slade up and restrain them before he paced around the room. "I'm going to give you a choice, Mr. Wayne. One of you is going to die quickly, and the other will die slowly and painfully. I'll give you a choice. You...or your friend here! You have 10 seconds to decide!" Wesker said evilly before he cocked his shotgun. Batman groaned in pain as he refused to even look at Wesker, while Slade just growled angrily as he tried to break free of the Enclave Trooper's grip.

Wesker grew impatient before he approached Batman, face to face. "Time's up. Who's it going to be?" Wesker demanded. "Fuck you!" Batman spat as he head-butted Wesker. "GAH! Damn you! I'll drain you clean of all your blood for that!" Wesker snarled. "NO! You want to kill someone, kill me! Go on; strap me to that fucking chair and do your worst! I can take it!" Slade shouted. "Slade, no!" Batman objected. "Ha! You'd be willing to die for this miserable pile of filth?!" Wesker taunted. "With my life!" Slade snapped.

Wesker smiled evilly as he approached Slade. "So be it, hero. Strap him to the chair!" Wesker announced. The Enclave troopers dragged Slade towards the chair and forced him on before strapping his arms and legs tightly. "All right, then. You got me. Do your worst!" Slade growled. Wesker glanced over at his thugs and motioned them to force Batman to watch. "I want you to watch this!" Wesker growled as he got in Batman's face. "HEY! You gonna waste your time talking to him, or are you not man enough to kill me?!" Slade cried angrily.

Wesker turned sharply around to face him, his shotgun still in his hands. "What are you waiting for? Kill me! Do it! DO IT!" Slade screamed. Wesker grimaced before he shot at Slade's left leg, earning a scream of pain from him. Wesker then shot at Slade's right leg, earning another scream. "GAH! Is that all you've got?!" Slade growled through gritted teeth. Wesker tossed his empty gun aside and approached his table, looking for the perfect sharp tool to finish his prey.

Wesker finally grabbed a broken katana sword, the blade still dangerously sharp, and slowly approached Slade. Without even flinching, Wesker grabbed hold of Slade's face and plunged the blade into his throat. Batman cringed at the awful sight and did his best to ignore the sounds of Slade gurgling and choking on his own blood. Finally, Wesker sliced the blade across Slade's neck and tore it out.

Blood sprayed everywhere before Slade finally died. Wesker then kicked the chair over, forcing the lifeless body of Batman's ally to fall down. His cold, blank stare was all that Batman could see; if you didn't count the blood, that is. Wesker tossed his blade aside and approached Batman in a slow and ominous manner. Batman panted furiously as he braced himself for what other sick, evil deed Wesker would pull of next.

Wesker suddenly removed his sunglasses, revealing his evil red eyes. He then grabbed Batman's mask and ripped it off his face before crushing the mask and tossing it aside. "You ruined my perfect little world, Bruce. Now...I shall enjoy destroying yours piece by piece. Just like I will to Superman!" Wesker snarled. Batman's eyes widened as he said that. "What?! It can't be...he's dead!" Batman exclaimed. Wesker smiled evilly. "Not yet, anyway. It's too bad you won't get to see me use him to his full potential before I throw him away like I will with you and the rest of the other fools!" Wesker sneered. Wesker then surged his fist with raw dark energy before he finally rammed it into Batman's chest.

Batman screamed loudly in pain and anger as he felt Wesker use his dark magic to completely paralyze Batman. Finally, Batman felt all the energy in him leave as he passed out. "Take him away! I will execute him later; I have very important matters to attend to with the Man of Steel!" Wesker instructed. After that, everything else for Batman was quite fuzzy.

 ***End of Flashback Sequence!***

Snake and his group were quite shocked and angered to hear Batman's story. "My God! That fucking animal!" Jill exclaimed with bitter tears. "He's gone way too far this time!" Chris proclaimed. Out of all the people who took it the hardest, it was Snake. But nonetheless, Snake also knew that there were quite some blanks that needed to be filled and questions that needed to be answered. "Bruce...I'm so sorry; I had no idea that you had to endure that. But how in the world did you even manage to escape?" Snake said. "I don't remember much, honestly. All I know is that it was nearly impossible for me to contact anyone due to all of my gear being removed. That is, until I remembered that I had my codec still in my ear. I was able to call for backup, and that's when Ghost Rider and Scarlet Witch arrived." Batman explained.

Snake seemed confused by what he had just told him; something just didn't seem right. "Well, how do you explain all of those guards knocked out around your jail cell? No offense, but I don't think that Ghost Rider or Scarlet Witch are the kinds of people who let their victims live." Snake pointed out. This offended Ghost Rider greatly and made him quite angry. "So says the psychopath who murdered his own father!" Ghost Rider snarled. "Ghost Rider!" Scarlet Witch hissed.

Snake glared at Ghost Rider, and the Spirit of Vengeance just glared right back. "You really want to go there?" Snake growled. "Just because you say and do the right things, doesn't mean you're free of sin, old man!" Ghost Rider growled back. "Never said I was. I know I'm no saint." Snake said. "I could Penance Stare you right now and you'd fall dead. The weight of your sins would crush you!" Ghost Rider threatened. "Stop it! Quit arguing, you two!" Morrigan snapped as she broke them apart. "Look, I don't know what exactly happened. All I know is that Ghost Rider and Scarlet Witch bought me enough time to escape while they helped the Legion assault the front gate of Wesker's base." Batman explained.

Snake still wasn't satisfied. "But we were there; we would have known about their presence. And you still haven't told us what exactly it was that Wesker said about Superman!" Snake interrogated. Finally, Spawn had enough. "Look! There's a time for asking questions, but there's also a time to shut the fuck up! Would you rather sit here asking stupid questions while Wesker tries to kill more innocent lives?!" Spawn snapped. "I just want to know what the hell is going on here, kid. That's all I want!" Snake snapped back. "He doesn't have the answers you want, old man! There's only one person who can give you all the answers you'll need and that's Wesker! He's out there doing more harm to the millions of innocent lives out there in the Wasteland. We've wasted enough time already, so unless you have any other stupid questions, we need to get going!" Spawn growled.

Snake sighed as he shook his head. "You're right, Spawn. I'm sorry...I can't help myself sometimes. But you are correct; we need to focus on finding Wesker. Only then can we figure out what the hell he's up to and put an end to his plans." Snake admitted. "If you all are done arguing amongst yourselves, I might have a plan on helping you rescue your friend." Lyons announced.

The other supers turned to face her. "Well, what did you have in mind? You think we're just going to walk up and knock on their front door and politely ask for Superman back?" Spawn snapped. "No, of course not! I had something a little more interesting in mind. Now that we've got Liberty Prime back, I think now's the time to show these Enclave bastards what he's really capable of." Lyons began. "I think I'm starting to like where this is going!" Wolverine smirked. "Well, since we've got a big stick...we might as well use it!" Lyons retorted.

Suddenly, Snake chuckled. "A stick, you say? No offense lady, but I think that there's quite a difference between a stick and a giant robot! And I think it's safe to say that a giant robot works way better than a stick." Snake joked. Lyons and a few others laughed at his joke. "Where can I find more guys like you?" Lyons laughed. "Focus! What about this plan of yours?" Spawn reminded. "Oh, right. While I lead Liberty Prime and my forces on a surprise assault on the Enclave, you and your super friends can take the time to rescue your friend." Lyons continued.

Snake rubbed his chin as she finished. "Sounds good...but what will we do if Wesker escapes before we even get a chance to break into the base?" Snake pointed out. "Then we'll have to split into different teams. And I already know which team I'm on; the one who hunts down and kills Wesker!" Spawn growled. "That's a good idea, kid. When do you think we should carry out this plan of yours?" Snake asked Lyons. "I'll give you and your friends 10 minutes to prepare yourselves, then we roll out. We'll attack them around night time, when they least expect us!" Lyons instructed. "Good. All right guys, let's get ready...because we've got a Man of Steel to rescue!" Snake announced.


	22. A New Deal with the Devil!

**Chapter 22: A New Deal with the Devil!**

* * *

Meanwhile in a deep underground bunker in the Enclave Headquarters, Albert Wesker was sitting at a desk pondering deep in thought. He felt satisfied that he was able to get the Enclave and the NCR to join his side, but he was also angry that there was still some heavy resistance. "My armies aren't strong enough; we need better weapons...or better soldiers." Wesker said to himself.

Suddenly, Crimson Viper and Spencer approached him. "What is it?!" Wesker demanded obviously irritated. "Sir, we weren't able to kill Chris Redfield and his group." Crimson Viper began. "What?" Wesker replied seething. "To make matters worse, the NCR is in complete disarray now that Commander Oliver has been captured and killed by the Legion." Crimson Viper continued.

Wesker stood up from his seat, glaring at them. "And let me guess; this means that the NCR has been weakened drastically, and that leaves me vulnerable. Correct?" Wesker demanded in a cold tone. "Um, yes sir." Crimson Viper stuttered now growing nervous. "But that's not even the worst of it. According to one of our spy drones, the Brotherhood of Steel is back and they've rebuilt Liberty Prime. I think that they might be coming here for a surprise attack." Spencer added.

Wesker sighed heavily as he rubbed his forehead. "Well, I guess that is bad news." he said finally. "What do we do now?" Crimson Viper asked. Suddenly, Wesker removed his shades and glared at both Crimson Viper and Spencer. "We?! Thanks to you, my plans are nearly ruined! How am I to cleanse this world if there is resistense?!" Wesker shouted. "Hey! Don't take it out on us; we were just following your orders! Besides, it's safe to say that after all the shit you've pulled, that there's bound to be some people who will fight back! What more do you want from me?!" Spencer snapped.

Wesker drew out a Desert Eagle pistol and shot Spencer in the face, blowing his brains out all over the wall. "I want you to suffer for your insolence, you worthless Necro-Junkie!" Wesker snarled. Crimson Viper couldn't help but smirk as she shook her head. "Well, he got what he deserved. He fucked up!" Crimson Viper sneered. Wesker suddenly shot her in the kneecap, causing her to scream in agony as she fell over to the floor. "You fucked up too, you treacherous little bitch!" Wesker snarled. "GAH! What the fuck was that for?! I've been nothing but loyal to you, you asshole!" Crimson Viper screamed as she held her bleeding knee.

Wesker reached for something in his pocket before he threw a file over at Crimson Viper. "You've been busy, I'll tell you that much. Busy by giving my enemies intel on my plans! And to think that you would have been able to see your precious little daughter again. Oh, well...I'll make sure that she dies quicker than you my dear!" Wesker sneered. "Fuck you, you son of a-" Crimson Viper began before her brains were blown out all over the floor. "Since you two fools can't be trusted with the small things, I guess now I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands!" Wesker said out loud.

Suddenly, evil snickering and laughing was heard from the shadows. "What? Who's there?!" Wesker demanded as he aimed his gun at the direction the laughter was heard. "You know something, Albert? You really suck at finding good help!" an ugly sneering voice cackled. Wesker grew grim as he recognized the voice. "Show yourself this instant!" Wesker cried. "I'm right behind you, asshole!" a skinny blue skinned demon in a black suit taunted. Wesker quickly turned around to find Frenzy facing him, wearing that trademark evil smug grin on his face.

Frenzy snickered as he handed Wesker a small glass vial with bright red liquid inside of it. "What is this?" Wesker demanded. "A gift from the boss down below! Since your little science project has been on hold for awhile, I think maybe it needs a little upgrade. You're welcome!" Frenzy explained. "But what is it?" Wesker demanded growing impatient. "Fine, if you want to spoil the surprise...it's Doomsday's DNA mixed with the blood of a Hellspawn named Razor. You put this into your little science project, and BOOM! He's your new ultimate weapon of mass destruction, baby!" Frenzy explained with evil laughter.

Wesker looked at him with suspicion in his eyes. "Why should I trust you, you filthy little gremlin? How do I know that this isn't a trick?" Wesker questioned. "Would I be standing here having this pleasent little conversation with you right now if it were a trick?! Just do it! Uh, I mean...this is what you've wanted all this time, isn't it? The ultimate bio-weapon? Besides, if you can't trust any of these fucking humans to do your dirty work...then perhaps Necrid will!" Frenzy replied with a deceitful tone.

Wesker's widened as he said this. "How the hell did you know about my secret weapon?!" Wesker exclaimed. "It doesn't matter how I know. But what does matter is that you now have the power to turn the odds to your favor. So, what are you gonna do? Are you gonna take this one chance to finally win over your enemies...or are you gonna pussy out?" Frenzy challenged.

Wesker stared at him for a whole minute in silence before he finally spoke. "If you betray me, you will suffer the concequences!" Wesker threatened. "That's the spirit! Now you run along and play with you new toy...I have big boy stuff to attend to!" Frenzy sneered before he teleported away. Wesker sighed as he looked at the vial in his hands. "Perhaps this actually might work after all. If this truly is the missing piece to obtaining ultimate power, then I should take this chance while I still have it. I have to get to my laboratory at once!" Wesker said to himself.

Meanwhile; several Enclave scientists were researching several energy weapons of Wesker's creation. They were trying to find a way to make the weapons more powerful, but unfortunately were not having success. "Argh! We're not getting anywhere with this!" a male scientist groaned. "We might as well shut down this research. We've been at it for weeks!" a female scientist added. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's time!" Wesker suddenly announced as he arrived.

A few of the scientists yelped at the sudden appearence of their boss. "Oh! Mr. Wesker, sir...I had no idea that you would be coming. Let me show you the schematics we have for those prototype weapons you wanted." another male scientist offered nervously. "Never mind that! I want you to open Cryogenic Chamber 666." Wesker replied. This shocked the scientists greatly. "What?! Uh, sir...with all due respect, it's not ready yet." a female scientist exclaimed. "Yeah, there's still a lot of kinks in its system we still need to fix!" another male scientist added.

Wesker turned to face them and aimed his Desert Eagle at them. "Either you prepare the chamber or your funeral! Either way, I'm testing this serum on Necrid now!" Wesker snapped. "As you wish sir!" the leading scientist remorsefully said. As he pressed a passcode on a keypad, the huge doors to the cryogenic chambers began to slowly open up. These doors were about 25 feet wide and made of impenetrable steel; nothing could possibly get in or out.

As Wesker stepped into the dark, cold room, Frenzy watched him from a ventilation shaft up above. "Ooh, this is it! I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when my new little toy introduces himself. It's gonna be a fucking bloodbath...my favorite kind!" Frenzy snickered evilly. Wesker punched a code on a computer terminal, activating a large cryogenic tube. Inside of the tube was a monstrous abomination; Necrid.

He was huge and muscular with reddish orange skin, wore brown combat shorts, had steel armor on his knees, wrists, and shoulders, and wore a steel mask that concealed his face. The strangest thing of all about Necrid was that he had a strange power core attached to his chest, kind of like a nuclear reactor. Wesker chuckled as he looked at his most prized creation. "Soon, you will awaken and heed to my every word." Wesker said sinisterly. "Oh no, he won't!" Frenzy sneered in a sing-songy voice.

Wesker pressed another button and the cryogenic tube began to drain its fluids out. After that, Wesker grabbed a syringe and poured the red liquid from the vial into the syringe. As he opened up the cryogenic tube, several scientists began to feel extremely nervous. "Are you sure that this is a good idea, sir? He might not be stable enough to be released yet!" a nervous female scientist warned. "Do not question me, fool! I know exactly what I'm doing!" Wesker shouted before he grabbed hold of Necrid's wrist.

Frenzy couldn't control his giggling as he watched everything unfold down below. "Oh, I'm afraid you don't have any idea what you're about to unleash...but then again, you always wanted to create the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. I guess I should've warned you that once he wakes up, he'll view everything as a hostile threat...including you!" Frenzy cackled.

Wesker injected the serum into Necrid, laughing with delight. "Yes...yes! Finally; the most powerful bio-chemical weapon in the world is finally mine to control!" Wesker laughed. Suddenly, Necrid's power core began glowing bright blue. "It's alive! It's alive, my God it's alive!" Wesker cried out in triumph. "Yes...but you won't be for long!" Frenzy snickered. Necrid's eyes began to glow bright green, and a low growl emerged from his throat. "My fellow scientists...I am finally proud to announce that my greatest creation Necrid has awakened!" Wesker announced proudly.

Several of the scientists applauded for their boss, but were completely unaware that their applause would soon turn to blood curdling screams of anguish and pain. As Necrid began observing his world, the DNA of Doomsday and Razor began surging through his veins. As the serum began to reach Necrid's power core, he began to growl with anger. "Uh, boss? Why's it doing that?! He looks angry!" a young male scientist pointed out.

Necrid began to growl and snarl viciously, frightening the scientists. "Ha! Let him roar; it makes for a good first impression. Isn't that right, my pet?" Wesker scoffed. Suddenly, Necrid's power core turned blood red and he gained a violent burst of strength before he finally broke free of his bonds. "What in the name of-" Wesker exclaimed before Necrid punched him.

The force of the punch was so powerful, it sent Wesker flying across the room. Wesker cried out in pain as he crashed into a table full of multi-colored fluids. As he crashed, one of the fluids splashed into his face and made him scream in agony as he felt his right eye burn with stinging pain. Unfortunately, Wesker had it good compared to what Necrid did to his other victims.

Necrid grabbed one of the scientists and tore him in half before he grabbed another by the head and smashed it against the wall, splattering his brains all over the place. The other scientists screamed in horror as they tried to run away, but Necrid killed them all in a most gruesome fashion before they could even escape. With brute strength, he ripped and tore up the poor humans like an angry child wrecking his toys. Necrid roared with ferocious anger before he jumped through the wall and began his destructive rampage at the Enclave Headquarters.

While all of this happened, Frenzy howled with evil laughter. "This is gonna be so sweet! If Wesker hasn't been killed yet, then I sure can't wait to see the look on his face after he sees all the hard work he put in to building his other little science projects are all but destroyed! And the best part is...once he destroys everything else, he'll be the one to blame!" Frenzy cackled hysterically.

Back below, Albert Wesker groaned as he struggled to stand back up. "Ugh...damn it; my head hurts!" Wesker groaned as he used a nearby desk to help stand him up. Wesker gasped as he looked all around him, witnessing the total destruction and carnage he unwittingly created. But as he looked around him, rather than becoming distraught or angry...he began to laugh. "I did it! I did it! I finally did it; I dreamt of creating the world's strongest bio-weapon, and I've finally succeeded!" Wesker cackled.


	23. Saving Superman!

**Chapter 23: Saving Superman!**

* * *

Commander Lyons led The Brotherhood of Steel towards the Enclave HQ along with Snake and the others, unaware of what was going on at the time. "So how exactly did you rebuild that robot of yours anyway?" Snake asked Lyons. "We have the best techs around the entire Wasteland. They were able to help me salvage some scrap metal from previous battles we've had against the Enclave and any other force for quite a while. But it wasn't until we found the ruins of a massive warship in Empire Plaza. It was a pre-war aircraft that belonged to a group called S.H.I.E.L.D; I can't possibly imagine what happened to them after the fallout!" Lyons explained. "Well, now that you mention it-" Snake began.

Suddenly, a Brotherhood scout ran towards the camp looking quite panicked. "Commander! Commander! It's urgent...it's the Enclave! They-" the young man panted out of breath. "Slow down, scout! Take a minute to catch your breath. What happened?" Lyons instructed as she helped the scout sit down on a bench. "I was just on my daily patrol routine, when suddenly I saw this...this...thing!" he began as he gulped down a water bottle. "What are you talking about?" Lyons demanded. "I don't know, ma'am. I can't describe it; it just didn't look human! But that's not the worst of it, Commander. This thing...it looks like it destroyed a good bit of the Enclave HQ!" the scout explained.

This brought great worry to Commander Lyons, as well as Snake. "Look at me, kid! What else did you see? This is important! Anything else you remember?" Snake interrogated. "All I know is that thing killed a lot of Enclave soldiers and they're mad as hell! I think they're coming this way! Last I saw, there appeared to be an army of Enclave troopers armed with plasma rifles coming from the East. They even have Battle-Bots with them! Whatever it is that attacked them, they sure are mad!" the scout continued.

Lyons cursed as she shook her head. "Damn it! There wasn't supposed to be any resistance! Well, no matter...we need to get moving right away. We'll cut down those incoming forces before we head towards the base ourselves. Something isn't right here!" Lyons said. "I'm not so sure that sending all of your troops to take out these guys is such a good idea, miss. Besides; maybe they're not after you." Snake warned. "Look, I appreciate your concern. But do not tell me how to run my army!" Lyons snapped. "I'm not telling you how to run your army, I'm just saying that maybe there's an explanation for this. And I don't think that rushing out with guns blazing is the best way to handle this situation!" Snake argued.

But before Lyons could argue back, a loud whooshing sound was heard. "Huh? What's that?!" Snake cried. "Look! Fighter jets; they appear to be pre-war era, too!" a Brotherhood soldier pointed out. He was right; these jets appeared to be F-14 fighter jets, but that wasn't the only thing that some of the onlookers saw. "Hey! What's that?! There's something hanging onto one of those jets! Look!" another Brotherhood soldier exclaimed as he pointed. Snake and several other supers approached the crowd of Brotherhood soldiers watching this, and began to grow worried.

Snake grabbed out his binnoculars and got a closer look at what was happening. He gasped as he saw what appeared to be a monster hanging onto the fighter jet, tearing it apart. "What the hell is that?!" Snake cried. Suddenly, the monster ripped out the jet's engine and smashed it against the other jet, blowing it up to pieces. The monster then leapt off the falling jet and began bounding through some canyons before he disappeared. To make matters worse, the jet crashed into the desert valley below with a thunderous explosion.

Snake looked at the other supers before he nodded and approached Lyons. "Lyons! You're gonna have to let us go." Snake began calmly. "What?! Why in the hell would I do that? You're the key to helping me defeat the Enclave!" Lyons snapped. "I think we have a problem that's much worse than the Enclave, lady! Look, if you truly respect your father's wishes, you'll do the right thing. Whatever it is that's out there is putting innocent people's lives in danger and we have to stop it!" Snake said gravely.

Commander Lyons sighed as she shook her head. "Well, what can I do? I can't just stay here and-" Lyons began. Suddenly, a Brotherhood Scribe approached her with a radio. "Commander? You need to hear this!" the scribe alerted. "This is Captain Mike requesting immediate back-up! I repeat; I need immediate back-up! My jet is down and I'm being surrounded by Enclave Troops! If there's anyone out there willing to help me out, I'd appreciate it!" a panicked voice shouted on the radio. Snake looked at Lyons, who in turn sighed. "All right! I guess you're right; father was always willing to help out someone in need. I guess I have to keep his honor going, don't I?" Lyons said at last.

Snake put his hand on her shoulder, surprising her. "You're doing a good thing. Your dad would be proud of you! And who knows; maybe you might get answers from him, but only if you save him." Snake said. "You're right; we're wasting enough time as it is! BROTHERHOOD?! New plan; we're going to rescue that downed pilot and take out those Enclave Troopers. We have to save that man's life at all costs! So let's go!" Lyons announced.

As the Brotherhood of Steel began moving out, Lyons handed Snake a radio. "Here! You've shown me that you've got what it takes to be a true ally to the Brotherhood. If you ever get into any trouble at all, call us and help will be on it's way." Lyons instructed. "Thank you! Good luck out there, miss." Snake said as he shook her hand. "You too, comrade. You too! Liberty Prime? Initiate search and rescue protocol; we've got an American pilot to save!" Lyons said. The robot suddenly came to life and its eyes shined brightly. " _Affirmative! Intitiating search and rescue protocol; mission objective, search and rescue American pilot in distress!_ " Liberty Prime announced before stomping away.

As the Brotherhood marched away, Snake sighed as he watched them go. "You would've made a great addition to their team, old man!" Spawn said as he approached Snake. Snake smirked as he said that. "Thanks, but I actually prefer to work on my own terms. Don't get me wrong, they've got wonderful reasons for their fight...but we've got far more important things to worry about right now!" Snake replied. "If you're done socializing, we've gotta go!" Batman interrupted. "Hold on a minute! Are you ready for this, old man?" Spawn asked as he clamped Snake's shoulder. Snake turned around and smiled. "Nothing ventured-" Snake began. "Nothing gained!" Spawn finished. And with that, the heroes were off.

It took the heroes less than an hour to approach the Enclave HQ, or whatever was left of it. "Jesus! That kid wasn't exaggeratiing after all!" Snake exclaimed as he witnessed the carnage. "What happened here?" Morrigan Aensland exclaimed. Jill Valentine approached a pile of wrecked crates, which were oozing with strangely colored liquids. "Bio-Weaponry?! Of course! This has Wesker written all over it!" Jill announced. "But the question remains; what exactly caused all of this?" Wonder Woman pressed. "I guess we'll find out!" Chris said as he drew out an assault rifle.

As they ventured deeper into the Enclave HQ, the horrific sights and sounds of utter destruction brought a chill to everyone's spine. Everywhere they looked, there was flaming destruction and shredded humans littering the place. "I don't know about you guys...but I've had just about enough of Wesker's shit! When I find him, I'm gonna make him pay for what he's done!" Wolverine growled. "We'll see to it that Wesker is brought to justice; not vengeance!" Batman said. "You think locking his ass in prison is gonna make things better, Bruce?!" Rorschach snapped. "I never said that! I was just saying-" Batman began.

Snake stopped them before he pointed. There were several Enclave scientists trapped inside of a burning room, the flames growing hotter and wilder by the second. "We've gotta save them!" Captain America cried. "No, Steve...that glass is impenetrable. There's nothing we can do for them!" Iron-Man said sadly. "He's right...we have to keep going!" Snake added. As the heroes marched by, they did their best to ignore the dying screams of anguish from the scientists. For some, it didn't seem to go too well.

Finally, the heroes reached a dead-end as they approached the center of the base. "Damn! Now what?!" Spawn cursed. "I guess we'll have to split up." Batman suggested. "But where else can we go? It's a dead-end!" Jill argued. Suddenly, Spawn's Necroplasm Senses alerted him of an evil presense nearby. "What the hell is that?" Spawn muttered as he began approaching a dark area. "Kid? What are you doing?" Snake asked. Spawn ignored him and activated his Necro-Vision to see who or what the source of evil energy was. Spawn was immediately shocked to find traces of Necroplasm from another Hellspawn leading away from the area.

The source of this Necroplasm reeked of pure evil, one that Spawn hadn't felt in a while...though he could clearly recognize it. "No! It's not possible...but how?!" Spawn exclaimed before he took off running. Snake and a few others cried out his name to stop him, but Spawn ignored them and focused on chasing after the evil source of energy. "Kid, wait! Damn it!" Snake growled. "Well, I guess we have some clue where to go now!" Morrigan said with a shrug. "You guys go on without us; we'll take care of this!" Chris said as he went after Spawn. "Wait for me, Chris!" Jill cried. "You losers are going to need my backup!" Ghost Rider sneered as he revved up his Hellcycle and rode after them. "Don't get cocky, now!" Scarlet Witch teased as she followed. "Whatever it is you found, kid...it better be worth it!" Snake grumbled. "Knowing him, I'm sure it is!" Morrigan teased. "I wanna come too!" Fawkes cried. "HULK FOLLOW!" the Hulk said as he chased after them.

As Snake and his own group went after Spawn, Batman and the others remained behind to try and find their own way out. But as Batman began scanning the area, he noticed that there was a faint heartbeat coming from another nearby room. "Wait! Listen...there's somebody behind one of these walls!" Batman announced. "I can't see through these walls; they're made of lead!" Martian Manhunter said as he tried to use his X-Ray vision. "Lead? Ok, stand back!" Batman instructed as he began applying explosives to one of the walls.

After setting up the explosives, Batman ordered everyone to stand back before he detonated the charges. A hole was blown in the wall and soon Batman and his gang went into the room. It was a gigantic laboratory of some sort, probably one of the labs where Wesker built his abominations. "Geez...this place isn't creepy at all!" Iron-Man announced jokingly. "Be quiet; we might not be the only ones in here!" Thor hushed. But as they ventured deeper inside, they were shocked to find a very familiar face trapped inside of a Cryogenic tube in the center of the enormous room. "No! It can't be...Clark!" Batman exclaimed with widened eyes.

It was indeed Superman, and he appeared to be in a coma of some sort as he laid inside of the Cryogenic tube. "Oh! Kal-El, what have they done to you?!" Wonder Woman exclaimed bitterly as she touched the glass of the Cryogenic tube. "Is he awake?" Raven asked. "He's in a coma...but he is alive, if that's what you mean." Martian Manhunter replied as he observed Superman. Iron-Man approached the computer teriminal, a thought running through his mind. "I bet if I could somehow decrypt this ancient fossil, I could release Superman from this Cryogenic chamber!" Iron-Man announced. "You sure you can do this?" Batman warned. "Bruce Wayne, you of all people should know that I am more than capable of hacking through any kind of computer...even the old school ones. Though this particular one might require a little more time!" Iron-Man boasted.

Suddenly, Martian Manhunter's eyes glowed bright red and he growled. "What's wrong?" Wonder Woman asked. "We might not have the luxury of time, Mr. Stark!" Martian Manhunter warned. "Why?" Iron-Man retorted. Suddenly, swarms of hideous zombie-like creatures called Ghouls began swarming towards their direction. "Oh...that's why!" Iron-Man said stupidly. "We'll cover you, Tone. Just get Superman out of that thing and let's get out of this place!" Captain America cried as he readied his shield. "Now we're talking!" Wolverine sneered as he unleashed his claws.

As Iron-Man began hacking into the old computer terminal, the other super heroes fought wave after wave of the Ghouls. "Die again, you nasty blood sucking freaks!" Wolverine shouted as he pounced on a Ghoul and tore it apart with his claws. "Just how many of these things are there?!" Captain America groaned as he bashed a Ghoul away with his shield. "Less complaining, and more fighting!" Raven cried as she used her dark magic to send several Ghouls flying away. Wonder Woman decapitated a Ghoul before chopping off the legs of another, when suddenly one of the Ghouls grabbed her from behind.

Wonder Woman cried out as she was able to free herself of the hideous beast before she grabbed it by the neck and smashed it to the ground and stomped it's head flat. "Hands off!" Wonder Woman cried. Thor swung his hammer at a group of Ghouls, shattering them to bloody pieces. "Anytime now, Stark!" Thor cried. "I'm trying, I'm trying! This hardware is older than my dad, and he's dead!" Iron-Man snapped. "Just hold on a bit longer, you guys! It's nothing that we can't handle!" Batman encouraged as he threw a Bat-a-Rang at a Ghoul's head.

Suddenly, a loud snarl was heard. "What the hell was that?!" Captain America exclaimed. Suddenly, a large humanoid creature with massive claws and tendrils marched into the room. It was a Tyrant, a supermutant monster created by Wesker's T-virus. "Oh, no! Tony...I really hate to rush you, but-" Captain America announced. "I'm working on it!" Iron-Man snapped. The Tyrant roared as he began charging towards the heroes, slashing wildly with his massive claws.

Wolverine was able to slash at the beast, but the Tyrant shook it off before he grabbed Wolverine and threw him across the room. Raven and Martian Manhunter combined their powers to try and restrain the beast, but it still struggled to come towards them. Finally, Batman threw a Bat Grenade at the beast to try and kill it. But the explosion only made the Tyrant even angrier. "Tony, now!" Chun-Li shouted. "I'm almost done...and...got it! I'm deactivating the Cryogenic Chamber right now!" Iron-Man announced.

But before Iron-Man could make another move, the Tyrant shot a tendril at him. Luckily, Iron-Man was able to fly away before he was hit, but the tendril hit the computer terminal and smashed it up. "Oh, come on! Really?! I worked hard on that!" Iron-Man exclaimed. The Tyrant roared as he broke free of Martian Manhunter and Raven's magic grip, charging towards Iron-Man to finish him off. "Stark, look out!" Wonder Woman exclaimed. Iron-Man was able to fly away and counter-attack the monster with his Repulsor Blasters, but the attacks were innaffective against the Tyrant.

The Tyrant lashed out with his tendrils against Iron-Man, but Thor was able to knock him back with his hammer before he summoned a bolt of lightning and zapped the beast. "Return to the lands of darkness from which you came, you beast!" Thor shouted. "That would be Wesker's mind!" Iron-Man joked. "Come on, quit fooling around. We have to beat this thing before it decides to kill Superman!" Cammy cried.

The Tyrant roared ferociously as he spread his arms, when suddenly a laser pierced right through his skull and fried his brains. "Huh? Ok, how'd you do that?" Iron-Man asked Martian Manhunter. "That wasn't me!" he simply replied with wide eyes. The Tyrant cried out in agony as he felt his brains melt through his face, until a loud cry of anger was heard along with the breaking of glass.

Superman finally woke up and grabbed hold of the Tyrant from behind before he twisted his torso around and ripped him in half. Not even finished, Superman smashed the Tyrant's body together in a single mass before he threw it into the air and blasted it to pieces with his laser vision. The others stood in awe and silence as their supposed friend finally returned. "Wow...I guess that's why they call him the man of steel, huh?" Wolverine smirked. "Don't be too sure just yet! We aren't even sure if he's still on our side or not!" Rorschach reminded.

Batman motioned them to be quiet before he slowly approached Superman. "Clark? It's me; Bruce. We're here to help you. Do you remember me?" Batman began cautiously. At first, Superman didn't answer him. He just glared at the strangers who stood before him. "Superman, listen to us!" Thor cried. "Thor, no!" Wonder Woman objected. Suddenly, Superman cried out as he charged towards Thor and pinned him to a wall.

This caused the other heroes to become defensive, but Batman motioned them to stand down. "Listen to me, Clark...I don't know any other way to say this...but you've been dead for a while. Somehow, Wesker brought you back to life. But now that we've freed you, we can help you find Wesker and make him answer for all he's done to you. Clark!" Batman cried.

Superman turned to face him before he finally let go of Thor. He appeared to be more calm as he hovered towards Batman. "Bruce? Is that you?" he asked finally in a hushed tone. The others smiled as they finally had their old friend back. "Yes...it's me. I'm still here!" Batman replied with a grin. Superman sighed as he shook his head. "I'm sorry about all of this...it was a bit odd, to say the least." Superman admitted. "We've all had our fair share of weird." Captain America joked.

Superman chuckled a bit before he approached a window, gasping as he saw the Wasteland. "Oh, no...did I do this?!" he exclaimed bitterly. Batman and the others grew silent. Superman sighed heavily and hung his head down low in shame. "I'm responsible for all of this, aren't I? I knew it would happen...it was only a matter of time before I let my emotions get the better of me." Superman said sorrowfully. "No! It wasn't your fault, Kal-El! Wesker corrupted you!" Wonder Woman cried. "No, I let this happen. It's my fault! I became the very thing I promised I wouldn't become; a power hungry monster!" Superman said sadly.

Batman approached him and put his hand on his shoulder. "It's all in the past, Clark. You have to let it go. Besides...the real power hungry monster is out there now. And he's not going to stop until we find him and put an end to his scheme!" Batman encouraged. Superman slowly stood back up, still hanging his head down sadly. "But what can I do?" Superman said. "What can you do?! You're the freakin' Man of Steel! You can do anything!" Iron-Man exclaimed. "Yeah, you're the only one who knows what Wesker has done and you're the one who can help us stop him!" Rorschach added. "Clark, please...help us. If not for us, then do it for-" Batman began. "Louis?" Superman finished before he shook his head.

Superman took a deep breath before he spoke up again. "Louis could be dead along with countless others for all I know. And their blood is on my hands! I'm sorry, but I can't help you. I can't help anyone!" Superman cried bitterly. At first, nobody else knew what else they could say or do. That is, until Batman spoke up again. "Clark...if there's anyone who knows what it's like to make a mistake, it's me. I let my own pride take control of me and I nearly lost the lives of those I care about. We've all made mistakes, but it's up to us to own those mistakes and learn from them. And if there's anyone who's taught me that there's still good left in this world, that's you!" Batman said gravely.

Superman finally seemed to lighten up as he said that. "You really mean that?" he asked. "I do. But there won't be any good left in this world to protect if you don't help us find Wesker." Batman continued. Superman nodded his head before he finally grew confident again. "You're right. We haven't got much time. If I know Wesker, he's probably underground somewhere, planning on creating another secret weapon." Superman announced. "But where do we look?" Captain America asked. "I think I know just where he might be. Oh, Thor? You're probably going to need this!" Superman said as he suddenly handed Thor his hammer back.

A few of the other heroes looked at him in shock, including Thor himself. Nobody else was capable of lifting Thor's hammer, not even the strongest of heroes or villains. Yet Superman picked that very hammer up and offered it to Thor. "Um, thanks." Thor said finally as he took the hammer back. Iron-Man and Captain America looked at Superman before they looked at each other. "Maybe if we attached it to a rocket ship!" Captain America began. "From the top of the Empire State Building...and hooked to an elevator!" Iron-Man added.

Thor laughed at them as he shook his head. "You're never going to lift up my hammer, you two. Just give it up already!" Thor laughed. "Oh, you just wait Goldielocks!" Iron-Man snapped. "Guys, I thought we were in a hurry!" Chun-Li reminded. After regaining themselves, Superman led his friends away to the lower levels of the Enclave HQ. There, they would finally confront Wesker and learn the truth!


	24. A Second Chance!

**Chapter 24: A Second Chance!**

* * *

While Superman led the others down further into the base, the destruction left behind from Necrid appeared to get worse. "Damn...I don't know what Wesker was doing, but it sure looks like it did some damage!" Superman stated. "That's an understatement!" Batman said grimly. "I can sense a great and powerful force of darkness in this area! Stay alert!" Martian Manhunter warned.

Eventually, Superman and the others arrived at Wesker's top secret lab deep underground. The place was a wreck, far worse than most of the destruction seen from the other parts of the base. "Spread out and find Wesker; he's our only way of finding out what the hell is going on around here!" Superman ordered. "Don't need to tell us twice!" Iron-Man said as he moved a large piece of rubble out of the way. "If he has escaped, then he wouldn't have gone too far." Raven stated as she used her powers to levitate a huge chunk of debris out of their way.

For about 20 minutes everyone searched, but they just couldn't seem to find a sign of Wesker anywhere. "You sure that this is where Wesker is?" Batman asked as he finished scanning the area. "I'm positive! I'm pretty sure that this is where he spends most of his time, if he's not making up some scheme with the Enclave that is!" Superman replied. "Hey guys! Check this out; I think I found something!" Cammy announced.

Everyone approached her direction and looked at a smashed up cryogenic chamber. "Hmm...looks like one of Wesker's experiments escaped. Maybe that's what caused all of this!" Superman said as he observed. "No, duh! Of course that's what happened!" Iron-Man snapped. Superman gave him a dark look as he said that. "Uh, just saying! Not that I'm judging you or anything!" Iron-Man said nervously. "Wait a minute...I can feel something." Martian Manhunter announced as he held his head. "What is it? What sort of foul abomination caused all of this?" Thor asked. "I...I do not know. But it's seething with evil and fury. It's unlike anything I've ever felt before!" Martian Manhunter explained as he winced.

Raven knelt down to the ground and touched a small splash of red liquid. "What is it, Raven? Blood?" Batman asked. "No...it's something else. I can't quite tell what it is, but somehow it seems...familiar." Raven explained as she observed it and used her magic to study it. "We're wasting time here. Maybe we should leave and try to find the others." Captain America suggested. "I agree; there's no point in staying here while our friends are in danger." Iron-Man said.

Superman sighed as he shook his head, but he reluctantly agreed. "All right. I don't really want to go back outside in the world, but I'm afraid I haven't got a choice." Superman admitted. Wonder Woman approached him and gently touched his face to comfort him. "Give the humans time, Kal-El. They've been through a lot lately, so maybe it will lighten their spirits to see you as a hero." Wonder Woman said kindly. "Maybe. But I'm really going to have to prove myself if that's going to happen." Superman replied sadly.

Suddenly, a radio was heard crackling from somewhere. "Wait...everyone be quiet. We're not alone!" Batman hissed. Everyone took cover before a couple of Enclave Troopers were seen approaching the area. "Roger that, sir. We're searching the basement right now for any survivors. We'll meet up with you back at the rendevous point in 10 minutes, out." an Enclave Trooper announced. "Copy that, scout. Be careful down there; there might be pockets of radiation from that escaped experiment left behind." the radio replied. "We could take these guys out in no time!" Iron-Man sneered. "No! They might know where Wesker is, Tony. We'll get the jump on them, but we need them alive!" Captain America whispered. "Good idea, Steve. Wait for both of them to have their backs turned and then you and I will take them." Batman instructed.

As Batman and Captain America moved slowly up, the Enclave Troopers talked amongst themselves. "Man, I freaking hate this!" one of them complained. "Quit your whining! The sooner we get this over with, the better!" the other trooper snapped. "No! Not that...I'm talking about this whole war between us and the Brotherhood. I mean, what's the point in all this fighting?" the first trooper said. "What are you, some kind of pacifist?! Don't be a bitch!" the second trooper snarled. "Well, excuse me killer! Maybe I'm just sick and damn tired of all this pointless violence and I want to go home to my family! Is that so much to ask?!" the first Enclave trooper snapped back.

The Enclave Troopers argued with each other, frustrating the heroes. "Come on, guys! Stop fighting and just turn around already!" Captain America hissed. "Look, you knew exactly what you signed up for! So why the fuck are you getting an attitude?!" the second Enclave trooper shouted. "Because every damn day is the same thing! We look, we kill, and we leave! Nothing changes! And I'm sick and damn tired of it; don't you miss your family? Don't you want to live your life to it's fullest instead of being a killer for hire? What kind of a life is that?!" the first Enclave trooper cried. "You've been listening to that stupid radio station again, haven't you? I told you that those tree hugging faggots are bad for your brain. But if you want to pussy out and leave, go ahead! Just don't come crying to me when you get your ass mauled by a Deathclaw!" the second trooper sneered.

Finally, the troopers turned their back and Batman made his first move. He motioned Captain America to stay behind before he snuck up closer towards the troopers. Batman then took out a flash grenade and threw it at their direction, blinding them. "GAH! Son of a bitch; I can't see!" the first trooper cried out as he was blinded. Batman tackled the first trooper to the ground and subdued him, while Captain America charged in and knocked the wind out of the other trooper with his shield. "What the hell?! Who are you people?" the shocked trooper exclaimed as he Batman pinned him to the wall.

Batman ignored him and instead ripped his helmet off, glaring into the man's eyes. The man grew terrified as Batman stared deeply into his eyes. "Where's Wesker?" Batman growled. "I don't know! I was just following my orders, that's all! I don't know nothing!" the Enclave Trooper panicked. Batman punched him in the face, making him cry out. "Wrong answer! Tell me where Wesker is right now, or else!" Batman snapped. "I swear, man! I don't know! I'm just a foot soldier; they don't tell me anything!" the trooper exclaimed in pain. "Yeah, so let us go if you know what's good for ya!" the second trooper snapped.

Captain America butted his head to shut him up before ripping off his helmet. "You're not in the best position to be giving orders, pal!" Captain America threatened. Batman was beginning to lose his patience. "Three strikes and you're history. Where is Albert Wesker?!" Batman seethed. "Up yours, jackass! We ain't telling you shit!" the second trooper snapped. "Gentlemen? If I may, I'll try speaking with these guys." Superman suddenly announced.

Batman at first seemed a bit hesitant, but Superman gave him a reassuring look to convince him otherwise. As Batman and Captain America stepped aside, the Enclave troopers seemed quite surprised to see Superman. "What?! No...impossible! I thought that-" the second trooper exclaimed. "I was dead? Yeah, I was...but here I am, standing before you." Superman said. "Dude...you were like a legend back in the day. I used to look up to you as my hero. What happened?" the first trooper asked in bewilderment.

Superman sighed as he shook his head. "I made a mistake. But quite frankly, so are you, working for Wesker. If you can tell me where he is, I promise to make him pay for all he's done." Superman said. "Wait a minute! Why should we trust you?" the second trooper demanded. "Would you rather risk trusting me...or would you rather place your trust in someone who probably wants you and your family dead? Whatever Wesker said to you is nothing but a lie! Believe me, I would know." Superman scolded.

The second trooper finally hung his head in defeat. "My family is dead, all right?! They were killed by a bunch of guys who said they worked for Wesker! They said that I didn't have a choice!" the second trooper said mournfully. "What?! You never told me that!" the first trooper exclaimed. "Well how could I? You wouldn't understand!" the second trooper snapped bitterly. Superman felt compassion for them both. "Listen to me. We all have a choice! Now you two can either keep fighting amongst yourselves, or you can help me put a stop to this." Superman said.

The troopers finally decided to surrender and told Superman everything they knew. "All right. Before the nuclear fallout, Wesker made some friends within the government. He managed to get himself a nice safehouse in Empire Plaza; one that would withstand a nuclear fallout like the one that just happened. Inside of that place, Wesker sees everything and practically takes control of everything and everyone he can get his hands on." the second trooper explained. "How do you know this?" Superman interrogated. "Because those guys who killed my family brought me there; they made me face Wesker personally!" the second trooper replied. "I see! What else do you know?" Superman pressed.

The second trooper then explained to Superman that Wesker had a supercomputer that had artificial intelligence, and that it was programmed by Enclave. The supercomputer was thought to have been destroyed by Brotherhood forces during a violent skirmish between Enclave forces, but several Enclave Scientists were able to procure the computer's "brain" and secured it before rebuilding it. "This computer knows everything, man! He knows where everyone is, and what they're planning. It's Wesker's eyes and ears, so it's no wonder he knows where to go and when to get there!" the trooper explained. "So that's how Wesker gets around! Where did you say this little bunker of Wesker's was?" Superman asked.

The trooper then told Superman that Wesker's private bunker was located in the heart of Empire Plaza, inside of the reconstructed Capitol Building. The bunker itself was deep underground and could only be accessed by Albert Wesker himself. "This information is invaluble! Thank you!" Superman said gratefully. "Well, what do we do now?" the first trooper asked. "You can leave...or you can join us. It's your choice; I won't hold anything against you if you decide to leave." Superman replied. "Well, I ain't got nothing to lose...so I might as well help you get to the city. It's the least I can do to repay for all the shit I've done over the past years!" the second trooper offered. "I'll go too!" the first trooper added.

Superman nodded his head before he looked back to his comrades, who also nodded. "Ok, then. Lead the way!" Superman announced. To keep a long story short, the two Enclave Troopers led Superman and the others to a hillside that overlooked the city of Empire Plaza. "Well, here it is...just like I promised. If you go through the south gate, there's bound to be less guards." the second trooper explained as he pointed. "Thanks again for your help. I won't forget this!" Superman said. "Actually, I should be the one to thank you." the trooper said as he extended his hand.

Superman smiled as he shaked the trooper's hand, when suddenly a sniper bullet pierced the trooper's skull. "GAH! What the hell?!" the first trooper exclaimed before he was shot in the head as well. "Surprise, surprise! Guess who?!" a cocky voice announced in a sing-songy tone. Deadpool suddenly jumped out of cover from behind a rock and faced Superman and his gang, armed to the tooth and nail with heavy assault weaponry. "Wade! What are you doing?!" Captain America shouted angrily. "You god damn traitor!" Iron-Man exclaimed. "Sorry, guys...but you know that I can't turn down a job that offers money! How else am I supposed to pay my electric bill?" Deadpool joked.

Wolverine grew furious as he stepped out and drew out his claws. "Wade Wilson, I've been more than fair enough to keep myself from killing you. But now, you've officially gone too far. Now you either stay the fuck outta my way, or I will personally shred you into nonexistance!" Wolverine threatened. "Aww, nice to see you too Logan. You know something? I think we both seem to have an act for always cheating death. But why don't we see who the real champ is here once and for all? For old time's sake!" Deadpool challenged.

As he spoke, several other supers appeared and stood by Deadpool. Among those supers were Hal Jordan as the Yellow Lantern, Hawkgirl, Shazam, Black Adam, Sinestro, Killer Frost, Solomon Grundy, Cat-Woman, Deadshot, a Sentinel Mech Unit, Venom, and M. Bison! "So, look who finally decided to show up again!" Yellow Lantern taunted. "You can't seem to stay dead, can you Superman?" Sinestro added. Superman scowled as he said that. "Well, apparently neither can you! What's happened to you guys? You used to fight for the side of justice!" Superman said angrily. "Well, I guess you could say that we're just being led by example!" Hawkgirl sneered.

Superman and his allies stood side by side, ready to do battle in order to gain entry into Empire Plaza. "You know how this is going to end for you guys, right?" Deadshot said as he charged up his wrist guns. "I think it's safe to say that only one group is going to be going into the city!" Batman shot back. "Yes...and I do believe it won't be you!" M. Bison sneered as he glanced over at Chun-Li. "I swear to God, I'm going to fucking kill you this time, Bison!" Chun-Li growled as she clenched her fists.

Both groups began slowly marching towards each other. "Um, guys? They're not stopping!" Spiderman announced as he noticed everyone's pace was slowly picking up. "Good...because neither will we!" Iron-Man replied as he readied his weapons. "You heard the boss, ladies and gents! Nobody gets into the city! Now let's get down and dirty, shall we?!" Deadpool announced as he drew out his katana swords.

The battle for Empire Plaza was about to begin!


	25. Battle for Entry of the City!

**Chapter 25: Battle for Entry of the City!**

* * *

The battle was fierce between both factions. This time, however, both sides were not going to hold back. Only one remaining group was going to make it into the city, and they would die trying to get inside...literally. Wolverine went all out on Deadpool, his rage making him stronger due to all the shit Deadpool put him and his friends through. "You won't be hurtin' anyone, anymore Wade Wilson! This time, you're mine!" Wolverine shouted as he slashed Deadpool several times on the chest. "Aw, I love you too Logan!" Deadpool sneered as he jumped away and threw a bola at Wolverine.

Wolverine growled as he was caught, but he broke free and began dashing towards Deadpool. But the mouthy mercenary quickly teleported away before Wolverine could even touch him and counterattacked him with a slash to the side with his katana blades. "Come on, old timer! I thought this was supposed to be a fight, not a walk through the park! You can still quit, if you want to though. It'll show everyone that I'm the champ!" Deadpool taunted as he kept slicing and dicing away at Wolverine.

Wolverine roared as he tackled Deadpool to the ground and slashed viciously at Deadpool's face. "Over my dead body!" Wolverine shouted as he grabbed hold of Deadpool and rammed his claws into his chest. "Ouch...yeah, that's klnda the idea!" Deadpool groaned before Wolverine kicked him away. "Of all the people I killed, I let you live!" Wolverine snarled as he began charging towards the downed Deadpool. "Aw, come on...where would you be without me?" Deadpool laughed as he rolled away and shot his pistols at Wolverine.

Wolverine deflected the bullets with his claws before he jumped into the air and attempted to stab down at Deadpool. But Deadpool anticipated his attack and stuck both katana blades into Wolverine, making him cry out in pain as he hung over the mercenary. "Face it old timer! My fanbase is bigger than yours and it always will be! Sure, you may be the most popular character in the X-Men franchise." Deadpool blabbered on as he threw Wolverine aside. Wolverine grunted as he hit the ground, but refused to back down to this mouthy punk. "But my fanbase will never die! In fact, if I wanted to...I could kill every single Marvel character in existence!" Deadpool finished with an evil laugh.

Wolverine groaned as he got back up to his feet. "Why? Why would you do something like that?!" he seethed. "Because they want me to, that's why!" Deadpool retorted as he pointed to the audience. "Yeah, well you're forgetting one thing bub!" Wolverine sneered. "Oh, and what's that? Wait...my fly's not down, is it? Because if I fought this entire time with my dick hanging out, that'd be embarrassing as hell!" Deadpool replied jokingly. "No...it's that fanboyism is childish and pointless. And the only reason you exist is because if and when you die, your little fans will have nothing left to live for!" Wolverine shouted as he slashed at Deadpool's face. "OW! Hey...it's my job to break the fourth wall!" Deadpool complained as he held his bleeding face.

Wolverine growled as he kicked Deadpool in the groin and punched him in the chin, forcing him up into the air before falling back down. "You know what, Wade? I don't give a fuck what you or your pathetic fanbase thinks. You're nothing more than a fad! And like all fads, you're gonna fade away and nobody will even care when you're gone! I'll personally make sure of that!" Wolverine snarled as he tackled Deadpool to the ground and began beating the living hell out of him.

While Wolverine beat the shit out of Deadpool, Batman brawled against Cat-Woman. "Selina! Why are you doing this? I thought you had more honor than this!" Batman cried as he punched at Cat-Woman. "Honor? Bruce, I thought you knew me better than that. You know I can't ever turn down anything that involves cold hard cash!" Cat-Woman teased as she slid underneath him and kicked him in the back. "AUGH! Is that all that matters to you? I thought we understood each other!" Batman growled as he threw a Bat-a-Rang at her.

Cat-Woman used her whip to deflect the projectile away before snagging onto Batman's feet. "I thought we did, too!" Cat-Woman sneered as she flung Batman up into the air. Batman cried out in pain as he was slammed back down to the ground, but didn't get a chance to react as Cat-Woman tackled him and began slashing madly at him with her claws. "You know, you could've joined us Bruce. You could've joined me! We don't have to be fighting each other like this, you know...there's still time to change your mind!" Cat-Woman purred as she gently stroked his face.

Batman cried out angrily as he butted her head, forcing Cat-Woman off of him. "I tried being fair to you, Selina! I gave you a chance...and you once again proved me wrong. Not even you can change your greedy ways!" Batman snarled. "Shut up, you self-righteous piece of shit!" Cat-Woman screeched as she charged towards him to attack. Batman parried and blocked her attacks before he grabbed her by the legs and violently snapped them, forcing a screaming Cat-Woman on her back.

As Cat-Woman laid on the ground and held her broken legs, Batman towered over her. "Bruce! How could you?!" she sobbed in pain. "You left me no other choice, Selina! Now stay down if you know what's good for you...I have a job to do!" Batman growled before he began walking away. "I hate you, Bruce! I hope you die all alone and miserable, you son of a bitch!" Cat-Woman cursed.

Meanwhile; Captain America and Iron-Man teamed up to fight against Deadshot and Solomon Grundy. Deadshot continued to fire his wrist guns at Captain America, but he was able to block his bullets with his shield or dodge his attacks. "You're beginning to get on my nerves, boy! Hold still so I can properly kill you!" Deadshot growled impatiently. "What's the matter? The famed marksmen Deadshot having a little trouble aiming?" Captain America taunted as he threw his shield at him.

Deadshot cried out as he was hit, but he wasn't about to give up anytime soon. He rolled to the side and fired his wrist rockets, but Captain America was able to dodge the explosive projectiles before he roundhouse kicked Deadshot in the face. "GAH! Ok, that's it. You wanna play rough? Let's play rough!" Deadshot snarled as he powered up his gloves and began fiercely punching away at Captain America.

As Captain America brawled with Deadshot, Iron-Man struggled against Solomon Grundy. "Grundy will break metal man!" Grundy shouted as he threw a massive punch at Iron-Man. "OW! This guy's tough, but if I could beat the Hulk...I'll definitely beat this guy!" Iron-Man grunted. Iron-Man fired several bursts of his Repulsor Blaster at Grundy, making the gargantuan brute cry out as he was hit. But it wasn't enough to stop him, rather it only made him angrier. "Grundy smash metal man!" Grundy growled as he slammed his fists to the ground.

Iron-Man flew up and began blasting missiles at Grundy, who roared in anger and pain as he was hit. "Jarvis, give me an idea here! How do I stop this guy?" Iron-Man said as he barely escaped a thrown rock by Grundy. " _Apparently, he's undead sir. I don't think any convential attacks will do much to stop him._ " Jarvis explained. "Damn it! I don't know how much longer I can deal with this guy; he's gonna break me and my suit if I don't come up with something fast!" Iron-Man growled as Grundy jumped up and grabbed him.

But as Grundy smashed him to the ground, Iron-Man was able to see that there was an electric generator nearby. It was surrounded by a chained link fence, and appeared to somehow give power to a section of the city nearby. " _Sir...you remember that movie, Frankenstein?_ " Jarvis said. "Now's not the time to be making pop culture references, Jarvis!" Iron-Man snapped as he barely escaped Grundy's fist. " _No, sir. Hear me out; you remember how Dr. Frankenstein brought the creature back to life? Well, with the amount of electricity surging from that generator-_ " Jarvis began. "Then we can put Zombie Hulk here back to sleep! Jarvis, you're a genius!" Iron-Man cried.

As Iron-Man flew off towards the electric generator, Captain America continued to brawl against Deadshot. "You ain't gonna win this, boy! Better give up while you still got the chance!" Deadshot taunted as he continued to punch Captain America. "Easy for you to say, mercenary! How much is Wesker paying you for this?" Captain America cried as he blocked his punches and counterattacked him. "It don't matter how much he pays me. As long as I get to see my daughter again-" Deadshot began.

He didn't get to finish his sentence when Captain America swept his foot underneath of him and tackled him before punching him into submission. "Big mistake on your part, pal! What makes you think he's gonna keep his promise, huh? You know how many people Wesker's hired only to later betray? You should've stayed home with your daughter when you had the chance!" Captain America scolded. "Don't you lecture me, boy! I didn't have a choice!" Deadshot shouted as he kicked Captain America off of him.

As the two super soldiers continued to fight, Iron-Man continued to fight Grundy until he finally led him to his little trap. "Come on, big guy! Come and get me!" Iron-Man taunted. "Metal man make fun of Grundy? Grundy will make metal man pay!" Grundy shouted as he began charging towards him. "And...NOW!" Iron-Man cried as he flew off just before Grundy could touch him.

Grundy crashed through the fence and smashed into the electric generator, screaming as he was electrocuted. After a few minutes of electrocution, the generator blew up and Grundy was seen stumbling away from the mess. "Grundy...smash...Grundy...destroy! Grundy...gonna...take a little...nap now!" Grundy growled before he fell facedown to the ground and passed out. "Jarvis, if you were a human, I'd give you a raise at this point!" Iron-Man said proudly. " _I'll take that as a compliment sir! But I do believe that we should cut the chatter and help Mr. Rogers out!_ " Jarvis replied. "Right! Hang on, Steve...I'm coming!" Iron-Man cried as he flew towards his direction.

As Iron-Man lent Captain America a hand against Deadshot, Superman teamed up with Wonder Woman, Thor, Raven, and Batman to fight Yellow Lantern, Sinestro, Black Adam, Shazam, and Hawkgirl. "You really let yourselves go this time!" Superman said as he fought against both Shazam and Yellow Lantern. "Us? Look at you, Mr. Hero! You're the one who went all psycho dictator on our asses!" Yellow Lantern snarled as he punched Superman away with a giant yellow fist. "AUGH! Yes, I did...but not anymore! Not ever again!" Superman cried as he charged forward and sent Yellow Lantern flying away with a Super Punch.

Yellow Lantern growled as he flew right back towards him and attempted to smash Superman with a giant yellow hammer, but Superman dodged his attack before zapping him on the side with his laser eyes. "OW! You bastard; you're gonna pay for that!" Yellow Lantern screamed angrily. "I don't want to hurt you guys, but you're not leaving me any other choice!" Superman warned.

Shazam suddenly grabbed hold of Superman and began pounding him brutally before zapping him with lightning. "And you call us the bad guys?! You remember what you did to all of us? Remember all those people you killed in cold blood? Yeah, that's really heroic!" Shazam snapped with sarcasm dripping in his voice. Superman broke free of his grip and punched him away before he flew towards him and grabbed him by the of his collar. "That wasn't me! It was Wesker controlling my mind! He's deceived us all from the very beginning!" Superman cried.

Yellow Lantern suddenly snagged onto Superman with a yellow chain before throwing him into the air and assaulting him with a massive yellow chaingun. "But that didn't stop you from enslaving us, right?!" Yellow Lantern snarled as he rushed towards Superman and punched him back down into the ground. Superman groaned as he stood back up. "I'm sorry...I really am. But we're wasting time with this pointless fighting; I'm not the real enemy here and neither are you!" Superman began. "Just shut up and fight, already!" Shazam snarled as he threw a punch at him.

As Superman continued to fight against Yellow Lantern and Shazam, Wonder Woman teamed worked with Batman to fight against Sinestro and Hawkgirl. "I thought you guys were dead!" Wonder Woman teased as she grappled with Hawkgirl. "Please! Like a measly little nuke is enough to stop me!" Hawkgirl sneered as she threw Wonder Woman up into the air. Wonder Woman screamed as Hawkgirl began pummeling her with her mace, but she was able to overcome her attacks by flying into Hawkgirl and smashed her back into the ground. "Well maybe I can put you back into your place! You know, we used to fight alongside each other as allies! What happened?!" Wonder Woman cried as she punched Hawkgirl.

Hawkgirl cried out in anger as she forced Wonder Woman off of her. "You should know! You and your little boyfriend Supes caused all of this! The question now remains; who are the real heroes here?" Hawkgirl snapped. "No more playing the blame game! You either stand down or I will put you down!" Wonder Woman cried fiercely. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh? You know something, Diana? I never really liked you...so I'm really going to enjoy this!" Hawkgirl sneered.

Wonder Woman shouted with anger as she charged towards Hawkgirl, both of them brutally punching and kicking each other in a frenzied state. "You think just because you're the queen of some far away kingdom that you can enforce your will on everyone?! You think that just because Superman is back from the dead that makes him to be some big damn hero!? You tried to kill us!" Hawkgirl shouted furiously. "I know that! But I'm trying to help you this time!" Wonder Woman cried as she grabbed hold of Hawkgirl with her Rope of Truth.

Hawkgirl cried out as she was snagged up by Wonder Woman. "Which is why I'm deciding not to kill you...despite the fact that you sided with the real enemy!" Wonder Woman scolded as she swung Hawkgirl around before smashing her into the ground and knocked the wind out of her. While Wonder Woman subdued Hawkgirl, Batman finally gained the upper hand against Sinestro. "Give it up already, mortal! I have won before this even started!" Sinestro cackled as he trapped Batman with a yellow chain. "For how long? Until Wesker decides he no longer needs you?! You've lost and you don't even know it!" Batman snapped as he broke free. "What?! How did you-" Sinestro began.

Batman brutally punched and kicked Sinestro into oblivion before he finally subdued him. He attached a bat-bomb to his back, which began beeping until Sinestro was sent flying away by an explosion. But Batman wasn't finished yet; he grabbed onto Sinestro with his Grapple Hook and swung him around before slamming him into the ground. "I-I-Impossible! How could you beat me? No mere mortal man has ever defeated me!" Sinestro groaned. "Just shut up and stay down; this battle is over!" Batman growled as he cuffed him. "God damn it! Hal Jordan won't let this one go when he learns of this!" Sinestro grumbled.

Speaking of which, Superman finally seemed to gain the upper hand when Raven and Thor lent a hand. Yellow Lantern and Shazam were about to finish off Superman, when suddenly Black Adam was slammed into both of them. "OW! What the hell are you doing?!" Yellow Lantern snapped. "Get off of me!" Shazam complained as he shoved them both off. "Quit your groveling and help me fight these fools!" Black Adam scolded as he brushed himself clean of dirt.

Thor and Raven flew by Superman's side, who grew more confident as he knew the tide would now be in his favor. "Thanks for the help!" Superman said as Thor helped him up. "Not just yet!" Thor smirked. "Get them!" Black Adam shouted as he threw a ball of electric energy at them. Raven used her dark magic to shield herself and her friends from harm before she retaliated. " _Azerath Mentreon Synthos!_ " Raven chanted as she fired a huge bolt of black energy at the villains.

They cried out as they were forced away, but Thor would be sure to finish them off. With a mighty swing of his hammer, Thor caught the villains in a lightning tornado. "AAAUUGHH! GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!" Yellow Lantern cried. "No problem!" Superman smirked as he sucked in a massive gust of air and drew the three villains towards him. Superman then froze them solid before he shattered them free with a single punch. Yellow Lantern, Black Adam, and Shazam groaned as they were forced on the ground.

But their pride refused to let them lose. "All right, now you've done it!" Yellow Lantern growled as he began surging with raw energy. He grabbed hold of all three heroes with a massive yellow fist and began squeezing them to death, and Black Adam and Shazam surged lightning on them to add extra damage. "Face it, Superman...your time is done! We're the good guys now!" Yellow Lantern sneered.

Suddenly, a ball of webbing hit him in the face. "GAHH! What the fuck?! Get it off me!" Yellow Lantern exclaimed. "Surprise!" Spiderman yelled as he swung in and kicked Yellow Lantern away. "What the-" Shazam exclaimed before a foot kicked him in the face and smashed him into Black Adam. "Did somebody call for backup?" Chun-Li announced.

As Superman came to and helped Thor and Raven up, he watched as Spiderman and Chun-Li teamed up together to fight against their enemies. "How does it feel having your ass kicked by a 20 something year old kid?" Spiderman teased as he repeatedly punched and kicked Yellow Lantern. "Gah! That's it; I've had enough!" Yellow Lantern roared as he unleashed a burst of yellow energy. Spiderman and Chun-Li cried out as they were sent back a good distance. But before Yellow Lantern could even attempt to finish them, a fist landed in his face and sent him flying up into the air. " _SHORYUKEN!_ " Ryu cried.

Yellow Lantern grunted as fell back into the ground while Ryu marched towards him. "While I've constantly struggled with what we fight for, I know that it is not this! Surrender now, so we can stop this pointless bloodshed." Ryu threatened. "Go to hell!" Yellow Lantern spat. Ryu grabbed him and threw him over towards Black Adam and Shazam. "Get up! We're going to stop these fools if it's the last thing we do!" Black Adam snarled. "Not this time! _DENJIN...HADOKEN!_ " Ryu shouted as he unleashed a huge beam of electric energy on the three villains.

The villains cried out as the explosive energy hit them, but Superman joined in and added extra damage by firing his laser eye beams at them. After a massive explosion took place and the dust settled, Yellow Lantern and the other villains groaned as laid on the ground in defeat. "God damn it...well, you did it. You won! Go ahead and kill us now so you can put your halos back on and get your standing ovation!" Yellow Lantern groaned as he struggled to sit up.

Superman just sighed as he folded his arms across his chest. "Well, come on! What are you waiting for?! Do it! Kill us! Kill me!" Yellow Lantern shouted. "No! I'm not going to kill you, Hal. I don't want to kill either of you; not even the ones I once called villains." Superman said plainly. Yellow Lantern and the other downed villains looked up at him in confusion. "Why not?" Shazam demanded. "Because...you're not my enemies. Albert Wesker is the one I'm after." Superman replied.

As he spoke, most of the other defeated and subdued enemies were brought over. "Well, this is embarrassing. But at least I went out on a high note, right?" Deadpool joked as Wolverine forced him on his knees. "Shut up, Wade!" Wolverine growled. "Wait a second! Weren't there other villains, too?" Batman pointed out. "Venom and M. Bison escaped during the height of the battle!" Captain America answered. "What?! Those cowards!" Hawkgirl seethed. "And that giant mech unit?" Batman pressed. "Scrap metal!" Thor laughed as he tossed the head of the Sentinel towards them. "Umm...good job!" Batman said.

Superman silenced the others before he spoke up. "Look...what's done is done, ok? There's no use holding grudges anymore. The longer we keep fighting each other, the more damage Wesker will do to the good people of this Wasteland. For the sake of those who died and for those who are still alive, we must work together and put an end to this. Please! Do the right thing and help us find Wesker so that he can pay for all that he's done!" Superman said.

At first, most of the other villains either scoffed or ignored him. But finally, one of them stood back up and spoke. "You know something, Supes? I guess you're right; enough is enough!" Shazam announced. "What?! You can't be serious!" Black Adam exclaimed. "Please tell me that you're joking!" Sinestro added. "You mean after all that he's done to us, you're gonna help him now?!" Yellow Lantern cried angrily. "That's right! I don't know about you guys, but I miss the good ol' days when we were actually friends with Superman and part of a team. I'm tired of all this fighting! Let's find Wesker and put an end to this, once and for all!" Shazam said.

Yellow Lantern scoffed, which earned some glares from the heroes. "What? You got anything better to do, Hal?! How much longer are you going to let your damn ego get in the way of what's really important? There are people dying because of us for God's sake!" Shazam exclaimed. "He's right! You need to let it go, Hal." Batman encouraged. "Come on; once a Green Lantern, always a Green Lantern...right?" Superman said.

Yellow Lantern sighed as he stood up, shaking his head. "I'm sorry...but no. Not this time!" he said sadly as he removed his ring. Superman and a few others raised their eyebrows at this. "Hal-" Hawkgirl began. "I've made too many mistakes, Supes. It's too late for me to change. I think I'm better off rotting behind bars, which is more than I really deserve." Hal Jordan said with a depressed tone.

Superman closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "I'm sad to hear that, Hal. But believe me, I do understand. I won't hold anything against you if you choose to do this. So if there's anyone else who wants to turn themselves in, you're free to do so! You can leave too, if you want. I won't stop you!" Superman announced. Hawkgirl hung her head down in shame before she stood up and moved next to Hal Jordan. "I surrender." Hawkgirl simply stated. Deadshot didn't even think twice; he just got up and walked away, but not before giving Captain America the evil eye. "We'll finish this next time, boy!" Deadshot growled.

Sinestro looked over at Hal Jordan and shook his head, smirking before he walked off. Surprisingly, Black Adam decided to stay behind and join their fight against Wesker. "I never liked that man to begin with. For that reason alone, I shall join your fight against Wesker!" Black Adam announced. "Uh, thank you!" Superman replied. Cat-Woman also handed herself in. "Well then! Until we can put a stop to this, I guess I have no choice but to be a good girl." Cat-Woman said as she glanced over at Batman.

Wolverine glared at Deadpool, who seemed fidgety. "Well? What's it going to be, Wade? You with us again? Or do you want me to actually kill you this time?" Wolverine growled. "Aw, come on...you know I was just messin' with you guys, right?" Deadpool joked. Everyone else gave him the evil eye as he said that. "Um, what I meant to say was...ah, fuck it! You know my fans would be pissed if I stayed the bad guy. Besides; I'm too fucking lazy to hold a grudge!" Deadpool continued with a laugh. "Hmph! For his sake, I hope Spawn is having as much fun as we are!" Wolverine grumbled.

But just as he said that, a massive explosion took place in the city and startled everyone. "What the hell was that?!" Iron-Man exclaimed. "Whatever it was, it came from the city! We need to move!" Captain America said with heightened alertness. "Everyone on me; and be ready for anything!" Superman instructed. "You sure you guys don't want to join us? We could use the extra help!" Raven said to Hal Jordan and Hawkgirl.

Hal Jordan and Hawkgirl seemed quite hesitant, until Black Adam gave them both a dark look. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Hal Jordan demanded. "If I can change, then you better believe you can too!" Black Adam said sharply. "Yeah, Hal! What else have you got to lose but your dignity?" Shazam scolded. Hal Jordan sighed heavily, but he finally agreed as he put his true ring back on and turned into the Green Lantern. "Well, like they always say...once a Green Lantern, always a Green Lantern." he said a bit more confidently. "Count me in too!" Hawkgirl cried.

Now it was a matter of time before the grand finale!


	26. Calm Before the Storm!

**Chapter 26: Calm Before the Storm!**

* * *

While Superman and his allies fought against the other super villains, Snake and Spawn led their own group to chase after Necrid. They began to realize that Necrid was a far more powerful and terrifying force as they ventured through some leveled forests and the burning remains of a farm. "Good God! Look at this shit; we have to find this thing before it gets any closer to the city!" Spawn announced grimly. "How do you know it's heading towards the city?" Snake asked. "I've got a feeling in my gut telling me that's where this thing is going, old man." Spawn retorted.

Spawn approached a burnt down house and examined what appeared to be smoldering remains of the humans who once lived here. "Damn! Well, I hope they're in a better place now." Spawn muttered. Morrigan grew both sad and angry as she picked up a burned up teddy bear. "What sort of monster is responsible for this?!" Morrigan said with angry tears. "Which one?" Jill said referring to Wesker. "Guys, look at that!" Chris cried out as he pointed towards a highway. There were several wrecked vehicles strewn all over the place, as well as numerous dead bodies that were either incinerated or literally torn in half. "We need to get moving! Kid, which way do we go?" Snake said.

Spawn used his Necro-Vision to scan the area before he pointed to the North. "That way; towards the city!" Spawn announced. "Let's pick up the pace, people! Those civilians aren't going to be able to save themselves!" Chris urged. About 20 minutes later, the heroes approached a train station. There was a train that was derailed and smashed up, along with the sight dead people. "Damn! I lost track of him!" Spawn cursed after he scanned the area. "Great! Now what do we do?!" Ghost Rider growled.

Snake used his Solid Eye to scan the area for any clues, and eventually found what appeared to be treaded tracks of a tank heading up towards a tunnel. "We might be too late to stop them now, but at least we still have a chance to lend them a hand." Snake announced. "We should split up! I'll take Hulk, Scarlet Witch, and Ghost Rider with me to provide cover on the surface while the rest of you continue underground." Chris offered. "Good idea! Come on, kid...we can't give up now. We're nearly there!" Snake encouraged.

Meanwhile; Sentinel Lyons and her group of Brotherhood troopers finally managed to rescue the downed pilot before interrogating him. "There! You're safe now, kid. Sit up and relax; that's it. Now...can you tell me what happened?" a Brotherhood trooper asked as he helped the pilot sit up. "I got a distress call from this area. Something to do with a monster attack. Several ground troopers were sent here to investigate, but they never returned. So HQ sent me over to look for them from up in the air, and that's when the monster attacked." the pilot explained between sharp gasps.

Lyons nodded her head before she approached him. "Do you know where you last saw this monster heading? Try to remember!" Lyons pressed. The pilot coughed before he pointed towards the city, earning a shocked expression from Lyons. "Please...if you can...try to stop the others. I don't think they can stop this thing!" the pilot begged before he passed out from exhaustion. "You heard him, brothers! Move out towards the city; we can't let that abomination get inside of that city!" Lyons commanded.

Back underground with Spawn and Snake, they witnessed more destruction caused by Necrid's violent rampage. Several subway stations were in complete ruin, but thankfully there didn't seem to be any civilian casualties...yet. "Nothing's stopping this bastard!" Spawn announced. "Well, nothing's stopping us either." Snake countered.

Suddenly, they found themselves looking across a huge hole in the ground and the wreckage of a train hanging over the edge of a seemingly endless abyss. "Shit!" Spawn cursed. "We'll find a way across, don't worry!" Snake said. "It's not that, old man. It's just that...what will happen if this monster decides to turn the rest of the city into this?!" Spawn replied referring to the black hole in the ground. "We won't let that happen, kid. Now come on; we have to keep moving!" Snake said.

Morrigan flew over the hole in the ground before she began looking for a way to help the others cross. "See anything that can help us, Morrigan?" Jill called out from the other side. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Morrigan replied. She eventually found a switch and approached it before she pulled it. Suddenly, the train began to slowly move forward before it got stuck into a a deep bed of rock and concrete.

A bridge was created, allowing the others to cross. "Good thinking, Morrigan." Snake complimented. "Thank you, Snake!" Morrigan grinned. As everyone finally crossed and began making their way through the tunnels, Spawn noticed something was wrong with Fawkes. "What's the matter with you? You're usually never this quiet. Something on your mind?" he asked. "I have the strangest suspicion that we may not be able to win this fight, Spawn." Fawkes finally said after a moment of silence. Spawn's eyes grew sad, because deep down he also had the same feeling. "Well...that may be, but we can make damn sure that Wesker doesn't win either!" Spawn replied.

Finally, everyone made it out of the tunnels and made it onto the surface. They were in a train station that overlooked a good portion of Empire Plaza. But what was particularly off was that all of the citizens were just going about their day, acting as if nothing had happened. That's when it hit them. "They must not be aware of what was going on." Snake said. "I bet whoever runs this place sure does a good job making the public unaware of certain events!" Spawn snorted. "What now?" Fawkes asked. "Let me try and contact the others. Maybe they've found something. Till then, just sit tight and don't draw any attention. Jill? Come with me." Snake instructed.

As Spawn and the others waited in an alley to avoid causing trouble, Snake led Jill towards an internet cafe. "Wait, what are we doing here? Why not just contact them with our radio?" Jill asked. "Just trust me, Jill. I know what I'm doing." Snake replied as he approached the front counter. "Hey, pal...can we use one of your computers?" Snake asked a lazy looking cashier. "Sure, man...whatever. Just don't bother me, I'm on break!" the cashier grumbled as he slurped down some coffee.

Snake approached a computer and logged on before he opened up a private chat room. He quickly typed on the keyboard for a few minutes before he logged off. "Let's go!" Snake whispered. "What did you do?" Jill asked. "I called for some backup. Now let's get off these streets and find higher ground; we'll keep an eye out for trouble until they arrive." Snake answered. "Wait, I'm confused. Who did you contact?" Jill wondered. "You'll see!" Snake replied with a grin. As they left the internet cafe, the cashier called out Snake. "Hope the internet is worth it!" he said as he sipped his coffee.

While Snake and his group waited and watched for trouble, Sentinel Lyons was preparing for her entry into the city when she suddenly got a message on her personal computer. "Huh? What's this?" Lyons said to herself as she opened up the file. She looked at the message and was shocked to see what it said. " _Sentinel Lyons, Solid Snake here. Forgive me if I contacted you this way...but we have a serious problem. Necrid has already entered the city by using the underground tunnels, but the worst part is that none of the civilians are aware of what's going on. You'll have to help us evacuate the city before we can attempt to find and destroy this monster first. Contact me once you have finished with the evacuation. Until then, me and my team will provide watch if anything happens._ " the message read.

Lyons nodded her head before she closed down her computer. But as she did that, a couple of Brotherhood troops approached her. "Ma'am? The strike force team is ready on your go. Shall I give the orders on your behalf?" one of the troopers announced. "No. I have something else in mind." Lyons replied. "Um, ok...what's your plan?" the other Brotherhood soldier asked in confusion. But before she could speak, her radio began to beep. "Ugh...hold on. Yes, this is Commander Sentinel Lyons speaking. What is it?" she snapped. " _He's killing us!_ " a frantic voice screamed. "Say again, trooper! Where are you located?!" Lyons cried.

At first, the words coming from the radio were incoherent nonsense due to the sounds of battle in the background. "Speak up! I can't hear you; where are you located?" Lyons cried. " _We're no match for him! Ghost Rider, get the others out of there! He's going to blow us all to Hell!_ " the voice shouted. "Repeat your last! Where are you located?!" Lyons demanded. " _You gotta get the civilians out of this city before that monster destroys the main reactor core! HULK, GET OUT OF HERE NOW!_ " the voice screamed before the sounds of an explosion and static silenced the radio.

Sentinel Lyons cursed as she placed her radio down. "Quickly; we need to get to the city and evacuate the civilians." Lyons instructed. "Yes, ma'am! We're moving out immediately!" the two Brotherhood soldiers replied with a salute. They had to move fast or else it would be too late!

Meanwhile; Snake was smoking a cigarette while providing watch on a tall office building with his allies. "I hate this!" Spawn growled. "Hate what?" Snake replied. "This silence; I can't stand it...something just doesn't feel right about all of this. I can tell that this monster is somewhere inside of this city, I just don't know where! And to make matters worse, it feels too quiet!" Spawn said with deep concern in his voice. Snake sighed as he took a drag of his cigarette. "I know what you mean, kid. The worst part of the battle isn't the heat of it or even the climax...it's the calm before the storm that always seems to be the worst." Snake said. "Why don't you contact the others? See if they found anything that could help us!" Jill suggested.

Snake agreed before he pulled out his radio. Now that they were alone, Snake was sure that there wouldn't possibly be any interference from anyone. "Chris? This is Snake. Come in, Chris! What's your status, over?" Snake asked. There was no reply on the radio. "Chris, this is Snake! I repeat; what's your status? Have you found any trace of Wesker's monster?" Snake asked again. Still, there was no answer. "Maybe he forgot to turn his radio on?" Morrigan suggested. "It doesn't matter! We've been here too long; we've gotta move!" Jill said anxiously. "Relax; help is on the way! The last thing we need to do is create a panic in this city. Just sit tight!" Snake ordered.

A few more minutes passed and Jill got sick and tired of waiting. She snatched the radio and attempted to call on Chris again. "Chris Redfield, if you're listening to this, then you need to regroup with us ASAP! Where the hell are you?!" Jill snapped. Suddenly, evil laughter was heard from the other end of the radio. " _Your friends are a bit busy at the moment, my dear!_ " an evil voice sneered.

Jill nearly broke the radio as she recognized the voice. "WESKER!" Jill shouted. " _Right the first time!_ " Wesker replied. Snake took the radio from Jill and spoke a bit more calmly. "Where are you, Wesker? Tell us where you are and surrender yourself at once; we'll try not to shoot you on sight, which is more than you deserve!" Snake said sternly. " _Like all of my men you killed and all of my research you destroyed. They deserved that too, am I right?_ " Wesker said in a more bitter tone. "I'm not playing this game with you! Where are you?" Snake growled. " _If you survive this, then I sincerely hope you all live long enough to see my greatest creation at work...that is, if he hasn't torn you to pieces. I'll see you all in Hell!_ " Wesker retorted.

Suddenly, a massive explosion took place in the center of the city. "Oh my God! Look at that!" Morrigan exclaimed as she pointed. Spawn grew very grim as his Necroplasm Senses detected the presence of nearby evil. "He's here...and he's about to unleash Hell on these innocent humans!" Spawn growled as he grabbed his Agony Axe. "Not if we have anything to say about it, he won't!" Snake said as he reached for his HF Blade. "Well, we may not survive this battle and it could be our last. So what are we waiting for?!" Fawkes said as he cracked his knuckles.

The Battle for Empire Plaza was about to begin!


	27. Chaos in the City!

**Chapter 27: Chaos in the City!**

* * *

 ***Bolt Thrower: World Eater plays!***

The center of the city was becoming a smoldering crater as soon as Necrid exploded from underground. The monster immediately began a violent rampage by murdering crowds of innocent and terrified civilians. He surged with a blood red energy and morphed his arms into machineguns before gunning down the fleeing civilians, much to the hero's dismay. "He's killing all those civilians! We have to stop him now!" Spawn shouted as he began running towards the scene of destruction. "Spawn, wait!" Snake cried as he tried to stop him.

It was too late; Spawn attempted to charge towards the beast to attack, but Necrid anticipated his move and retaliated with a savage attack that sent Spawn flying back towards his group. He used his strange red energy to create a war hammer and smashed Spawn away. "Damn it, kid! Stop running into battle without thinking!" Snake snapped as he got back up. "We don't have time to think, old man! We have to act now!" Spawn snapped back. They would have argued, but Necrid fired several rockets at them and nearly blew them up. "Damn! That was too close!" Spawn muttered as he dodged one of the explosive projectiles.

The rockets blew up a few buildings and some cars, creating more chaos. Necrid then smashed both his fists into the ground, causing a massive shockwave that created even more destruction as buildings around them collapsed and shredded up several cars and other objects. "What incredible power! How are we going to stop this thing?" Jill exclaimed. "I'll get its attention while you guys sneak around and try to attack its weak side!" Snake offered as he rolled towards the beast.

Snake grabbed out his HF blade and attempted to slash at Necrid, but he blocked his attacks by morphing his arms into a large blood red shield before turning it into a pair of deadly looking blades. Necrid snarled as he tried to hack Snake into pieces, but Snake was lucky enough to dodge the attacks. "Damn it! This thing is a lot smarter than I thought! I'm gonna have to be careful with this one!" Snake said out loud as he parried with the beast.

Snake slid underneath of Necrid before he stabbed him in the back, but Necrid showed no signs of slowing down and backhanded Snake away. Necrid picked Snake back up before he surged his fist with red energy and pummeled Snake several times before he threw him up into the air and slammed him back down on his knee. Snake screamed in pain as he felt his spine crack, but he refused to back down now.

Snake struggled to get back up and blocked more of Necrid's violent attacks before pulled of a sneaky move. He blinded Necrid with a flash grenade before rolling underneath him and climbed onto his back. Snake attempted to constrain the beast with a headlock, but Necrid wasn't having it. He grabbed Snake by the head and smashed him back down to the ground, stomping on him with his feet.

Snake eventually broke free and gave a powerful uppercut to Necrid's chin, forcing the monster away. "Damn it! He's a lot tougher than I thought, too...come on guys. I can't take him out on my own!" Snake panted as he prepared himself for another beating.

As Snake and Necrid fought against each other, Spawn and his friends circled around before they prepared to attack from behind. "Ready?" Spawn asked as he drew out his Agony Axe. "Ready when you are, my friend!" Fawkes replied as he grabbed a nearby steel pipe. "Let's do this!" Jill added as she readied her grenade launcher. Spawn grunted as he nodded his head before he charged towards Necrid.

This time, Spawn was able to kick Necrid in the back and sent him flying onto his face. As that happened, Fawkes ran towards the monster and smashed his steel pipe into him as hard as he could while Jill fired several shots of her grenade launcher. This only angered Necrid and caused him to surge with powerful energy before he fiercely retaliated.

He grabbed hold of Fawkes by the right arm before slamming him to the ground, only to pick him back up and swing him like a club at Spawn and Jill. The heroes cried out in pain as they were forced away, but Necrid was only getting started. "Ow! He's definitely not like any of the other bad guys we've fought before!" Fawkes groaned as he got back up. "Look out! He's coming this way!" Jill cried as she was helped up by Spawn.

Necrid morphed both arms into machineguns and began blasting at them, but Spawn was able deflect his bullets with his Agony Axe before throwing a ball of Necroplasm at the monster. Necrid growled as he was hit, showing that it hurt him. But it didn't do anything to slow him down. In fact; it only made him even angrier. Necrid charged towards Spawn with both arms morphed into deadly looking melee weapons. One arm was an axe while the other was a sword. "This monster seems to have a familiar fighting style to Razor. Can it be?" Spawn thought out loud before he engaged in a lengthy duel against the beast.

Spawn hacked and slashed at Necrid, with the beast blocking his attacks before counter attacking him with savage slash attacks. Spawn was able to block most of his attacks before forcing Necrid away with a kick and threw a ball of Necroplasm at the monster. Necrid growled with pain as he was attacked by Spawn's projectile attacks, but Spawn couldn't use up all his energy now. "Damn it! My Necroplasm seems to be the only thing that's slowing this monster down! But if I use up all my powers now, I'm done for!" Spawn grumbled.

As the two Hellspawns continued to fight, several heavily armed soldiers came towards their direction. There were lots of them, as well as a couple of tanks and helicopters. Snake saw them and grew worried that they would only make things worse. "Damn it! If they come in here guns blazing, they'll only cause more trouble. We gotta convince them that we've got this under control!" Snake said out loud.

Snake approached the commanding officer of the soldiers, who in turn didn't look too happy to see him. "Listen up, punk! Either you're here to help us or you can fuck off!" the commanding officer snarled. "I am here to help you, pal. But I'm also here to make sure that no more civilians get killed. Let us handle this monster! You'd be better off trying to help evacuate the civilians in this city!" Snake replied calmly. "Tell me how to run my army, will you?! Boys, let's show this chump how real soldiers fight!" the commanding officer snapped.

The soldiers cheered as they began surrounding Spawn and Necrid, aiming their weapons at them. Spawn saw this and grew angry at their arrogance. "Get out of here now, you fools! You're only making things worse!" Spawn shouted. "Fire, Marines!" the commanding officer shouted despite Snake's objections. Luckily, Spawn was able to teleport away before he was riddled with bullets.

Necrid on the otherhand, was shot up many times before the soldiers realized how useless their weapons were. Necrid growled with anger as he surged with red energy before he fired a powerful burst of green energy from his eyes, incinerating the poor soldiers. "NO! Don't just stand there, armory division! Blast that fucker off the face of the earth!" the commanding officer screamed. "You're making a mistake! Those tanks and helicopters won't stop him!" Snake cried. "Listen to the man for God's sake!" Jill shouted.

Unfortunately, the tanks rolled in and began barraging Necrid with shells. The attacks did no damage to Necrid, further angering the beast. At the same time, the helicopters began spraying bullets from their miniguns. Necrid finally lost all control and roared ferociously as he fired a huge beam of red energy from his chest, blowing up the tanks and choppers. After it rained scrap metal on the heads of our bewildered heroes, Necrid roared in triumph as he leapt away to continue his rampage. "I...I don't believe this shit! Those were my best soldiers and my best weapons! How the fuck did this happen?!" the commanding officer exclaimed bitterly.

 ***Song ends!***

Snake glared at the stupified commanding officer, who somehow still refused to accept defeat."You underestimated your opponent, you fool. That's why you lost! You can't just rush in and expect to win without planning ahead of time!" Snake scolded. "Fuck you! You ain't a soldier, so you don't know what the hell you're talking about!" the commanding officer snarled as he got in Snake's face.

Snake would have argued with him, had Spawn not appeared and grabbed the arrogant bastard with a pair of chains. "ENOUGH! You want to help us out? Then stay the fuck out of our way! Make yourself useful and help evacuate the civilians! Do it now, or else their blood will be on your hands...and you'll have to answer to me!" Spawn threatened as he tightened his grip.

The commanding officer grunted and groaned as Spawn squeezed the life out of him, but he finally agreed to help out. "You want to get yourself killed by the thing?! Be my fucking guest! Let me go and I'll call in my boys to help evacuate the civvies!" the man gasped. "That's more like it!" Spawn sneered as he let the man go. As the commanding officer ran off, Snake approached Spawn. "Thanks kid! That punk was really starting to get on my nerves!" Snake admitted. "Never mind that, old man. We've gotta find that monster and stop him by any means necessary!" Spawn replied. "You're right. Ok, did you see which way he went?" Snake said.

Spawn used his Necro-Vision to see where Necrid took off to. He gasped as he caught sight of him rampaging his way towards the city's financial district. "Fuck! He's heading towards the financial district! He's going to kill more innocent civilians!" Spawn cursed. "Not if we can't help it!" a familiar voice said suddenly. Spawn and the others turned around to find Chris Redfield facing them with Ghost Rider, Hulk, and Scarlet Witch. "Chris! You're still alive?!" Jill exclaimed as she embraced him. "Barely! That monstrosity was attacking a power core that kept this part of the city in one piece! If he finds all power cores in this city, he'll create a catastrophic meltdown and incinerate everyone within a 20-mile radius!" Chris explained gravely.

This made Spawn and the others very upset as they heard this. "Then what are we standing around here for?! We've gotta stop that thing!" Fawkes cried. "I can smell his evil a mile away! Come on, follow me!" Ghost Rider said. "Wait, where are you going?!" Spawn demanded. "You're not the only one who can sniff out the bad guys, chump! Try not to get lost, if you can keep up with me that is!" Ghost Rider sneered as he took off on his Hell Cycle. Spawn growled with anger, but Scarlet Witch calmed him down. "Ignore him! He's a hot head for sure, but he's a good fighter!" she explained. "Kinda like someone else I know!" Morrigan giggled referring to Spawn. "All right, enough! Let's get moving!" Snake snapped.

Meanwhile; Superman and his own group of heroes arrived at the fiancianal district of the city, when they were stopped by military forces. "Halt! State your business here!" one of the soldiers shouted as he pointed his gun at Superman. "It's ok, we're here to help! Your city is in danger!" Superman insisted. "Wait a second...I recognize that logo, anywhere! You're Superman, ain't ya?!" one of the soldiers pointed out. "Yes, I am. And unless you want more innocent civilian lives lost, you'll let us through!" Superman said trying not to lose his patience. "We are aware of a threatening presence in the city. We're evacuating the civilians as we speak!" the commanding officer of the soldiers snapped. "So you'll let us through and help you?" Superman asked hopefully. "Sorry, pal! I don't care who you are, but we got orders that nobody enters the city without the President's approval...or a VIP pass!" the commander proclaimed.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion was heard from the distance. "Shit! What the hell was that?!" a younger soldier exclaimed. "No! We're too late!" Superman muttered. "Like hell we are! Come on, let's go!" Wolverine snapped as he took off running. "HEY! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" the commander snapped. "Wolverine, stop!" Superman cried. "Yeah, screw this! This city's toast if we don't act now!" Iron-Man snapped as he took off flying. "Tony, wait!" Captain America exclaimed. "We're not just gonna sit back and let this monster tear up this place. We've got to act now!" Hawkgirl said as she flew off.

Superman sighed before he unleashed a gust of wind and froze the soldiers solid in a block of ice. "I'm sorry! I'm only doing this because I care!" Superman said sadly before he flew off after his friends. "Let's go! We can't waste any more time!" Batman urged his comrades. "Don't need to tell me twice, Bats!" Green Lantern replied. As the heroes arrived the center of the city, the were horrified to see that a huge group of soldiers were wiped out by Necrid.

A small handful of surivors were seen taking cover behind a wrecked building while Necrid continued to unleash a barrage of laser blasts on some other buildings. "This thing is tearing us apart! We need back up, ASAP!" a panicked soldier screamed on a radio. " _Negative! That area is too hot; we're already having trouble evacuating the rest of the civilians from the industrial district! You'll have to hold out until we can send a chopper to your direction, out!_ " a voice replied. "God damn it!" the young soldier cursed. "Hey, kid? Did HQ just tell us to go fuck ourselves?!" another soldier said. "Yup, pretty much!" the young soldier retorted.

As the soldiers tried to make their way towards higher ground, Superman caught sight of them from above. But unfortunately, so did Necrid, who was standing on top of a rooftop. Necrid roared as he fired a missile at the soldiers, but Superman was able to swoop down and save them before they were hit. "Holy hell! What just happened?!" one of the soldiers cried out. "You guys need to get out of here! It's not safe!" Superman said as he caught his breath. "What?! It's Superman!" a young soldier exclaimed. "Yes, now get out of here! I'll take care of him!" Superman replied as he saw Necrid leaping off the building. "We can't just leave! There are others still trapped in this section of the city somewhere!" the leading soldier explained.

Superman seemed a bit surprised to hear that, when suddenly Necrid was seen stomping towards them and growled ferociously. "Go! Find your comrades and then get out of here; I'll try to hold him back!" Superman ordered before he began approaching Necrid to battle him. "You heard him, boys! Let's get moving! We've gotta find our comrades and get to the extraction zone!" the leading soldier said.

As the soldiers left, Superman and Necrid stood a few feet from each other. Necrid unleashed a pair of blood red energy swords and swung them around in an intimidating manner, growling menacingly. Superman quickly scanned the beast and was horrified to find traces of Doomsday's DNA within him. "It can't be! Wesker, you have no idea what you have unleashed!" Superman said angrily. Necrid roared as he charged towards Superman, but Superman showed no fear and charged right towards Necrid before they both engaged in a brutal fight.

Superman punched Necrid several times, but the monster showed no signs of slowing down and instead intensified his attacks. He slashed at Superman with his melee weapons and kicked at him with brutal force and speed. Superman attempted to fly around him and attack him from behind, but Necrid anticipated his attack and forced Superman flying away with a burst of plasma energy shot from his chest.

Superman cried out as he was blasted away, but he refused to back down. He cried out fiercely as he fired lasers from his eyes, but Necrid blocked his attack with his wrists and retaliated by firing green lasers from his eyes. Superman dodged the explosive projectile and continued firing his own lasers, creating some explosions. Eventually, Necrid grew tired of fighting Superman and leapt up into the air before smashing Superman into the ground with a giant war hammer formed from his crimson red energy.

Superman cried out as he was smashed back down, but Necrid wanted to ensure that he stayed down. He grabbed Superman by the back of his collar and brutally punched him in the gut, making Superman cry out in pain as he coughed up blood. Necrid glared into his eyes before he slammed him to the ground again and stomped his foot into Superman's back, earning a loud scream of pain from the Kryptonian superhero.

Luckily for him, some other heroes were nearby and rushed in just in time to save him from being further injured. "NOOO!" Wonder Woman screamed as she grabbed Necrid with her Rope of Truth. She yanked him away and smashed him into a pile of debris before she ran towards her friend. "Kal-El? Are you alright? Kal-El?!" Wonder Woman panicked. Superman laughed through wincing pain as he slowly got back up. "Don't worry about me...it's just a scratch!" he sputtered as he coughed up more blood.

Necrid suddenly jumped out of the debris and roared ferociously, until Green Lantern began pummeling him with a barrage of missiles. "You won't be hurting anyone, anymore!" Green Lantern shouted as he used his powers to levitate a truck up and smashed into Necrid. Necrid grew furious and morphed his arms into crimson chain guns, spraying bullets towards Green Lantern. Green Lantern was able to shield himself with a brick wall thanks to his ring before Batman fired a bat grenade from a specially crafted combat assault rifle he built. "Over here!" Batman called out.

Necrid snarled as he glared at Batman. He charged up with a good amount of energy before he fired a huge burst of plasma from his chest at Batman. Batman was able to use his Grapple Hook to zip away to safety before Necrid's attack could seriously hurt him. As Batman got up to higher ground, he reloaded his grenade launcher when suddenly he was approached by a couple of familiar figures. "Need some help?" Snake asked plainly.

Batman sighed as he nodded his head grimly, pointing his head towards the destruction that Necrid caused. "Damn! This monster is more destructive than any of Wesker's previous creations combined!" Chris exclaimed bitterly. "That's why we need to work together to stop this thing before he destroys the entire city!" Snake reminded. "So far, none of our attacks seem to have any affect on this thing!" Batman explained as he approached the edge of the roof. "Tell us something we don't know!" Snake said half-jokingly. "He appears to have an uncanny intelligence; it's like he knows what our attack methods are somehow!" Batman continued as he aimed at Necrid down below. "Not to mention that he has incredible strength and speed, despite his size." Snake added. "Yes...so we're going to have to use everything we've got in order to bring this monster down!" Batman finished before he fired at Necrid.

The explosion got Necrid's attention, as he turned towards Batman and fired a bunch of missiles from his wrists. Batman, Snake, and Chris were able to jump off the roof before the missiles hit the building and destroyed it. As they fell, Batman fired his grapple hook onto another building. As Batman grabbed onto Snake, Snake was able to grab onto Chris and they all swung safely towards the buidling before they landed to safety. "That was a close one!" Chris gasped. "No kidding! We really have to be more careful if we're to survive this battle!" Snake snapped as he glared at Batman.

Batman just stared back at him with a grim expression on his face before he spoke up. "Snake...this could be our last battle. So like I said...we'll have to give our all if we're to win this!" Batman said before he jumped down from the building and landed on the ground. Snake sighed as he shook his head, but he knew that Batman was right. If they didn't step up their game now, then everyone would suffer the consequences. "Well...nothing gained, nothing ventured!" Snake muttered before he leapt down to join the battle. "Hey, wait up!" Chris cried as he jumped after him.

Necrid roared furiously as he faced his many opponents now surrounding him. "We've got him now!" Shazam boasted. "Don't get cocky! Stay focused!" Black Adam warned. Necrid observed his foes and his surroundings before he made his next move. He lifted his arms up in front of him and began surging with raw energy before he created a contained, but very powerful EMP blast.

This attack startled our heroes, but didn't hurt them. "Damn it! What did he do?!" Chris cried. "Doesn't matter! We'll fry that sucker before he can...wait, why aren't these working?" Deadpool said as he tried to fire a pair of plasma rifles. "Oh my God! My systems are offline!" Iron-Man exclaimed. "Son of a bitch! My equipment is fried!" Jill cursed. "He's crippled us! None of our equipment is working and our weapons are useless now! What do we do now?!" Chris exclaimed. "We do this the old fashioned way! NOW KID!" Snake said.

Suddenly, Spawn teleported behind Necrid and surprised him as he forced him away with a burst of Necroplasm. As Necrid fell on his face, Fawkes emerged from his hiding spot, a pile of debris, and tackled Necrid before punching him with all his might. Necrid grew furious and aggressively forced Fawkes off of him. But before he could do anymore damage, Hulk battered him and pounded him furiously with his fists before grabbed his legs and threw him up into the air.

Spawn grabbed hold of Necrid with his chains slammed him back down to the ground and burned him with Necroplasm. As he did that, Ghost Rider rode into the scene riding on his Hell-Cycle and lassoed Necrid with his flaming chains. "Face me!" Ghost Rider cried as he surged hellfire into Necrid through his chains.

As Spawn and Ghost Rider held onto Necrid, Morrigan Aensland flew into the scene and pummeled the beast with a series of frenzied kicks. As she kept kicking Necrid, Scarlet Witch teleported into the scene and began creating a forcefield to contain the evil monster. "Now it is time to finish this!" Scarlet Witch proclaimed. She then began to use her magic to crush Necrid, making the beast cry out in both pain and anger. "It's working! Keep going, Wanda! Don't hold back!" Captain America cheered. "Come on, let's not just stand here! Let's help them finish this!" Shazam said as he began throwing bolts of lightning at Necrid.

Several more superheroes began to attack the trapped Necrid with their supernatural powers; Superman with his lasers, Shazam with his lightning, Martian Manhunter with his psychic powers, and so on. However, Necrid's pain began to build up into rage as he was bombarded with pain. Suddenly, to everyone's horror, Necrid broke free of Scarlet Witch's forcefield with a massive explosion of plasma energy. The force of the attack was so powerful, that it sent everyone flying back off of their feet and knocked them out.

Eventually, Spawn was able to come back to his senses and slowly stood back up. "Ugh...my head! Is everyone still alive?" Spawn called out. Some groans were heard, as well as a few cries of pain. "I'm still here!" Snake said as he was seen standing back up. "Augh! I think I'll be all right...for now!" Scarlet Witch cried out in pain. "Well, more or less...everyone's still in one piece!" Superman groaned as he stood up and helped up Wonder Woman. "So...is that it?" Deadpool asked as he pulled out a shard of glass from his head.

A loud and vicious snarl was heard from a thick cloud of smoke. "Oh, no...you've gotta be kidding me!" Wolverine growled. Necrid was seen stomping towards their direction, surging with crimson energy. Spawn growled as he began approaching the beast, his Agony Axe slung over his shoulders and ready for the final battle. "You're not getting any sympathy from me!" Spawn threatened. Necrid snarled in response as he morphed his arms into crimson red energy swords.

Snake grunted as he began limping towards Spawn. "Wait...what are you doing? Get back! This is my fight!" Spawn snapped. "How many times do I have to say it, kid? Nothing ventured-" Snake began with a cough. "Nothing gained, I know. But this could be your last fight...meaning you won't be walking out of this alive! You sure you want to do this?" Spawn warned.

Snake grinned as he drew out his HF Blade. "Kid...I didn't waste all this time with you just to watch you get yourself killed! I'm going in there with you, even if it kills me!" Snake said boldly. Spawn couldn't help but chuckle at Snake's determination. "You are a hell of a soldier, I'll give you that much! All right...let's finish this fucker off once and for all!" Spawn replied before he drew out his Agony Axe.

It was now time to see if Spawn and Snake could truly put their skills to the ultimate test!


	28. Fight as One!

**Chapter 28: Fight as One!**

* * *

Spawn and Snake slowy approached Necrid, who snarled menacingly at them. "He won't go down so easily, old man!" Spawn reminded. "Neither will we! Just do as I say, and we might stand a chance against this bastard." Snake replied. Necrid stared the two down as they moved towards him. "Go!" Snake shouted and the two charged the evil Hellspawn. Necrid grabbed a chunk of debris in each hand and tossed them at his two opponents.

Spawn and Snake both used their weapons and sliced the debris in two. Spawn dashed forward and engaged Necrid. Switching his arms to blades, he began to clash with Spawn. Both swung at each other, but neither could get an attack in, as blade continued to block another blade. Spawn grew frustrated and smashed Necrid with a headbutt. Necrid was staggered briefly, before quickly headbutting Spawn back. He went to slice Spawn while his guard was dropped, but felt a burning pain across his left arm, as Snake's High Frequency blade slashed into him.

He snarled and turned to Snake, going for an attack. But Spawn had recovered and slashed the right arm of the enemy Hellspawn. Necrid was stunned, and Spawn and Snake used this opening for a combination attack. Snake nailed Necrid in the gut with a hard round-house kick, and Spawn followed up with a fierce dropkick to the head. The force of the attack knocked Necrid on his back. But he quickly jumped back to his feet. He hurled a ball of plasma at both of them. Spawn reacted quickly and threw a ball of Necroplasm back. The two projectiles collided and destroyed each other. Necrid's arms formed into assault rifles and fired away. Snake and Spawn evaded the storm of bullets and made it to cover.

Snake took out his SOCOM pistol and checked to see if it was loaded. "You know a gun like that won't do any good, right?" Spawn asked. "It may not hurt him, but if I can land a good shot it can get him to stop blasting us with those guns. Be ready to charge him." Snake planned. Peeking out of cover, Snake took aim and fired, launching a bullet right into Necrid's forehead. The shot sent Necrid reeling back, his arms returning to normal. "GO!" Snake commanded and they rushed over to him. "You sure you want to be so close to him?" Spawn asked. "Close quarters is the best way to deal with him. If we fight him from a distance he has the advantage. He can just fire his numerous and unlimited projectiles at us." Snake explained.

The two finally closed in on Necrid, who finally recovered from the force of the bullet. Spawn surged his fist with Necroplasm and went for a punch, but Necrid blocked and punched Spawn in retaliation. He lifted Spawn by the throat, looking to smash or throw him into something. "Oh no you don't!" Snake yelled and kicked Necrid's head, pushing him back and forcing him to let go of Spawn. Necrid immediately charged for Snake, throwing a series of punches at him. Snake made a good effort to dodge and block the attacks, though some managed to hit him. Necrid kicked Snake's chest and knocked him on his back. He looked like he was about to stomp on Snake, but a ball of Necroplasm hit his face and caused him to clutch his face from the pain. "Back off!" Spawn shouted and sucker punched Necrid with a Necroplasm infused fist. Necrid was knocked away but shot a plasma projectile as he was launched back.

Spawn managed to block it with his arm, but it still hurt a bit. "Thanks kid." Snake said as he got back to his feet. "Now how about you bring him back over here?" He suggested and pulled out the HF blade. Spawn nodded and took out his chains, spinning them around ready to toss them. As Necrid got up, he immediately felt chains wrap around his neck. With a strong tug, Spawn pulled him back and once he was close Snake impaled him with the sword. Necrid felt pain and looked very shocked about that. He angrily surged his fist with red energy and smashed his fist into Snake, sending him flying back. Spawn tried to restrain him with the chains but Necrid let out an explosive wave of that strange red energy around him, breaking the chain and knocking Spawn back. Spawn and Necrid charged at each other, with a fist at the ready. They closed in and punched each other in the cheek, a cross counter.

Necrid punched Spawn in the chest, Spawn struck his knee into Necrid's gut. Necrid kicked him, Spawn kicked back. They continued exchanging blows with each other. They both infused their fists with energy and threw a punch. Their fists collided, and the infused energy resulted in a small explosion that pushed both of them back. Necrid blasted a laser from his chest, hitting Spawn in the chest and bringing him down to one knee. Necrid knocked Spawn on his back with a backhanded smash. Necrid started wailing on Spawn while he was down, but was blasted back as Snake shot him with a rifle from afar. Necrid angrily shot a wave of plasma at Snake, who rolled away from the projectile. He took another shot at Necrid, hitting the monster in the chest.

Necrid charged Snake, forming his arm into a blade. He tried to cut Snake's head off, Snake ducking under the blade just in time. He did another slash, the tip of the blade just grazing Snake's cheek. Snake quickly drew out his knife and stabbed Necrid's left thigh. He pulled out his pistol and blasted Necrid's face at point-blank range. He looked over to Spawn and saw he was still getting up. "C'mon kid, I need you back on your feet." He said in his thoughts.

Snake knew that by himself, there wasn't much he could do in terms of doing good damage to Necrid. He wasn't a super, he didn't have any special powers. However, he did have his brain, his ability to make a strategy in the midst of battle. Necrid was powerful, but all the power in the world is no good if you can't hit your opponent. Necrid was berserk right now, attacking wildly and sloppy, making it easy for Snake to avoid his attacks. He had Necrid focus him to buy Spawn time to recover his strength. After dodging another attack, Snake struck his knee into Necrid's gut, and followed with a two-handed overhead smash. Necrid was absolutely livid that he was being outplayed by Snake, and pounded his energy infused fists into the ground.

Snake wasn't sure what he was doing, but found out as an explosion of energy went off around Necrid and blew Snake across the room. Snake struggled to get back to his feet, but Necrid went up to him and lifted him up by his throat. While strangling Snake, Necrid punched him three times in the midsection. Necrid's transformed his arm into a blade, ready to finish Snake off.

Before he could make a move, Spawn came from behind and bashed Necrid with a Necroplasm punch, sending Necrid flying back and into a pile of debris. "You all right, old man?" Spawn looked over to him and asked. "I'm fine." He replied. "Spawn…speed." Snake said. "What?" Spawn asked in confusion. "Focus on your speed and agility. When it comes to raw power, Necrid can't be beat. If you try to trade blows with him, he will win! However, he's lacking when it comes to speed, especially when he's angry like he is now. He's so focused on hurting you that he doesn't think to dodge attacks. Dodge his attacks, and then counter attack when there's an opening. And make that attack count." Snake explained. "Alright! Got it!" Spawn nodded, and the two readied themselves to continue the fight against Necrid. Necrid destroyed the debris on top of him, and roared at the two in anger.

As Spawn and Snake continued to battle against Necrid, everyone was unaware that a spy drone was flying up above and watched their every move. While all the chaos between the heroes and Necrid went on, some surviving soldiers were able to get up to safety to higher ground and assembled a drone to scan the area. "See anything?" one of the soldiers asked the one who piloted the drone. "I got nothing! That monster really fucked this place up!" the soldier piloting the drone said. Suddenly, he caught sight of something on his drone's radar. "Huh? What the hell is that?!" the pilot exclaimed. "It's those supers, man! They're fighting against that monster!" one of the soldiers replied as he pointed on his screen.

He was right; through the screen, they could see Spawn, Snake, and several other super heroes teaming up to fight against Necrid. "Damn! Look at them go!" one of the soldiers said. "This is Eagle Eye reporting to HQ! Come in, HQ!" the pilot said on his radio. " _This is HQ, Eagle Eye. What's your status, over?_ " HQ replied. "We're ok, sir. For now, anyway! Are you getting this on your radar, HQ?" the pilot said. " _Crystal clear, Eagle Eye. How far away are you from the metahumans, over?_ " HQ replied. "Uh, we're a pretty good distance away sir. We're about 2 miles away from that battle zone!" the pilot explained. " _Copy that, Eagle Eye. We have an AC-130 coming to your area in about 20 mikes, over!_ " HQ said.

This brought the other soldier's attention. "An AC-130?! Finally; we could probably use that to blow away that fucking monster!" one of the soldiers exclaimed in excitement. "Are you crazy?! There are still good guys in that area! We can't just-" another soldier argued. "Shut up! What are your orders, HQ?" the pilot said. " _This is Overlord, Eagle Eye. Your orders to destroy all hostiles within that area. All you have to do is mark your targets on your radar and Thunder Hammer will take care of the rest, over!_ " a deep voice explained.

The pilot shook his head, but he agreed to follow orders. "Roger that, Overlord! We'll report back to you once the job is done, over!" the pilot said. " _Copy! Good luck out there, Eagle Eye! Over!_ " Overlord responded. "You heard him, boys. We got a job to do!" the pilot said sadly. "Damn! That's really fucked up, man! Just after they saved our lives, too!" one of the soldiers complained. "Quit your whining! It's their fault all this shit happened to begin with! I say let's blow them all up and be done with this!" another soldier snapped. "Man, that's not fair!" a third soldier cried. "Well what the fuck do you think is going to get us home faster? Letting those costumed psychos fight each other until there's nothing left?! This is war, Private Alex! Get fucking used to it!" the second soldier shouted angrily.

The pilot, who was also the leader of the group, had enough of their arguing. "That's enough, Lieutenant Jones! Now I don't like this anymore than you do, but orders are orders! Now we've got less than 20 minutes until Thunder Hammer arrives. For now, we'll just wait and see what happens. Hopefully by then, those metahumans will have stopped that monster. If not...then you know what happens next. So everyone just sit tight and let them fight...and let's hope and pray for the best!" the pilot ordered. "I gave up on praying five minutes ago, Corporal Matthews!" Lieutenant Jones griped.

Back with Spawn and Snake, the fight against Necrid grew fierce as the evil monster began to resort to more sneaky tactics. Spawn threw a ball of Necroplasm at the beast, causing Necrid to fall back. Spawn then used his Necro-Speed to viciously slash and kick at Necrid, making the monster cry out in pain. "Die, you son of a bitch!" Spawn cried as he was about to deliver a final blow with his Agony Axe.

Suddenly, Necrid swept his foot underneath of Spawn and tripped him onto his back. Not even finished, Necrid grabbed Spawn by the collar and began smashing him facedown to the ground multiple times before he threw him up into the air. But Necrid wanted him to suffer, as he jumped up towards Spawn in midair and smashed him back down on his knee.

Spawn screamed in agony as he felt his spine crack. As Spawn laid on the ground writhing in pain, Snake ran towards him to try and help him. "Spawn! Come on, kid...get up! We can still win this!" Snake cried. But Necrid wasn't having it; he slashed at Snake with a sword before he grabbed him by the head and kicked him in the back. Snake screamed as he felt a sharp pain in his spine, but being the malicious demon he was, Necrid continued to make him suffer.

He tripped Snake onto his back before he morphed his right arm into an axe. Holding the axe steady, Necrid lifted Snake up with his left foot before smashing Snake into the axe's blade. Snake's loud scream of anguish was enough to get the other heroes' attention. "Snake!" Morrigan screamed. "Oh my God! We've gotta help them!" Jill exclaimed. "We can't! We're not strong enough!" Black Adam objected. "Well, I'm not going to just stand here and watch my friends die!" Morrigan snapped as she flew off to help her friends. "Wait for me, Morrigan!" Wolverine cried as he drew out his claws. "Finally; I was getting tired of playing spectator!" Deadpool announced playfully. "YES! HULK FINALLY FIGHT NOW!" Hulk shouted.

Necrid towered over Spawn and Snake, who were laying on the ground next to each other in defeat. "Damn it! I wasn't strong enough, old man! I've failed!" Spawn groaned sadly. "You did your best, kid! That's all that matters." Snake muttered. "No...I wasn't talking about that. I meant...I failed you. I'm...I'm sorry!" Spawn said with his voice breaking. Snake looked at him sadly before he shook his head. "No, kid. You didn't fail me! In fact, I'm proud of you. You've shown more courage and honor than any other human being I've ever worked with in my entire life. I mean that!" Snake said kindly. "Well, thanks. You ain't so bad, after all...Snake." Spawn replied.

Snake smiled as he said that, when suddenly Necrid grabbed him by the throat. "NO!" Spawn shouted. Necrid began squeezing the life out of Snake, snarling viciously as he glared into Snake's eyes with his own. But before Necrid could do anymore damage, a sharp heeled foot rammed into the back of the evil monster's head. "LET HIM GO, YOU VILE BRUTE!" Morrigan screeched. The force of the attack was so strong, it sent both Necrid and Snake flying back a ways.

Snake gasped for breath as he struggled to stand back up, when Jill approached him and helped him back up. "Come on, soldier! We're not done just yet!" Jill encouraged. "You kidding me? I was just waiting for you guys to show up! What, you got too bored playing spectators or something?" Snake joked. Jill laughed at him as she playfully punched his shoulder, when the vicious snarling of Necrid was heard.

Necrid grew pissed off beyond description and began glowing ominously red with raw energy. As more and more heroes approached the scene, it was obvious what had to be done now. "We stand no chance against this thing alone!" Batman announced. "So what now?" Spawn demanded as he was helped up. "We fight as one! If we die, then we'll die fighting together with our throats around that thing's neck!" Superman said boldly. "Sounds good to me!" Spawn replied.

Necrid released another powerful shockwave, large and powerful enough to be felt for miles. In fact, his explosive attack was so powerful, that it was felt by the watchful Eagle Eye soldiers 2 miles away. "Holy shit! What the hell was that?!" one of the younger soldiers exclaimed. "It's those supers!" Lieutenant Jones retorted. "Damn it! That blast must have been an EMP shockwave; it's fucked up my radars!" Corporal Matthews cursed as he hit his computer. "What?! Oh, that's just great! Now how in the hell are we supposed to finish these guys off?!" Lieutenant Jones snapped. "I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way, then. Come on, troops! Follow me and keep your heads down!" Corporal Matthews ordered.

As Eagle Eye trudged their way through the battlefield to get a closer view, the battle between Necrid and the heroes grew more violent. The Hulk engaged in a lengthy brawl against Necrid, with neither brutes able to best the other. "NO MORE! HULK NO LET YOU HURT ANYBODY NO MORE!" the Hulk screamed as he grappled with Necrid. Necrid roared in response before he flipped the Hulk over his shoulders and punched him in the face. The Hulk, however, kicked Necrid away into a wrecked building before he got back up.

As Necrid almost immediately burst out of the rubble, Thor was seen marching towards the beast. With a mighty swing of his war hammer, Thor smacked Necrid up into the air before he flew up and smashed back down again. But Necrid was not about to back down. He jumped back up and cracked his neck back into place before he began marching towards Thor, both of his arms morphed into blades. Thor's eyes widened before he grew grim. "Many demons and monsters I have fought have fallen easily to the might of Mjolnir. But I fear that this abomination might not be as obliging!" Thor said to himself.

Necrid and Thor engaged in an epic duel that seemed to last forever, until Thor was finally able to force the beast away with a massive burst of lightning. As Necrid was forced back by Thor, a giant hand grabbed him. A few other supers looked up in surprise to find Martian Manhunter had grown to enormous proportions, about 100 feet tall to be exact! "You are not like a mere cockroach fighting against the sun, you childish brute! Now cease and desist, or suffer the concequences!" Martian Manhunter thundered as he began crushing Necrid in his giant hand.

But Necrid still refused to back down. He broke free of Martian Manhunter's grasp before lept up towards Martian Manhunter's throat, punching both fists into it and made the giant choke and gag as he began losing balance. To make matters worse, Necrid dove down towards Martian Manhunter's right knee and smashed a hammer formed from both his arms into his knee, breaking it.

Martian Manhunter screamed in howling agony as he keelhauled over, giving Necrid the chance to uppercut him in the chin. The force of Necrid's attack was so strong, it sent Martian Manhunter falling down onto his back with a great crash. Finally sensing a chance to finish him off, Necrid leapt up into the air and began diving back down to finish off his opponent. But the other heroes would see this beast dead before they lost one of their own. "NOOO!" Wonder Woman shouted as she flew up towards Necrid and shoved him back down into the ground.

As Necrid crashed into the ground, Raven used her dark magic to trap Necrid. At the same time, Green Lantern fired several missiles at the downed beast. "Why...won't...you...just...die already?!" Green Lantern growled as he kept attacking Necrid. Necrid snarled as he released another shockwave attack and freed himself of Raven's grip, when suddenly Shazam rushed towards him and punched him several times. "Maybe you gotta get close and personal!" Shazam said as he kept punching the beast. "Now that's the way I like it!" Deadpool chimed in as he began slicing and dicing with his katana blades.

As several more supers joined in the brawl, Spawn and Snake watched in dismay. "We can't stop this thing! We've done everything we could and we still can't seem to stop him! What did we miss? Is there truly no way of stopping this damn thing?!" Spawn exclaimed. "I don't understand it, either! We've managed to slow it down a little, but he's still fighting! How is this even possible? Maybe-" Snake began before he suddenly realized something. "Hey! Kid, look at that! You see that thing on his chest?" Snake exclaimed as he pointed. Spawn grew wide-eyed as he saw what Snake was talking about. "My God...how in the hell did we miss that? It was right there in front of us this damn whole time!" Spawn cried. "What are you two going on about?" Batman demanded.

Snake pointed towards Necrid, who was still brawling against several other supers. "You see that thing on his chest? That's his source of limitless power! If we could somehow disable that-" Snake explained. "Then we can finally stop this behemoth!" Batman finished. "But the only way we can do that is if we can get him to hold still. And one of us is going to have to personally rip that thing out of his chest!" Spawn pointed out. "I have an idea. It might be risky, but we haven't got much of a choice! You guys in?" Snake began.

At first, Spawn didn't hear him. "Kid? Are you even listening? What's wrong with you?!" Snake snapped. "Snake...where did that come from?!" Spawn pointed out. Snake looked up at the sky and gasped as he saw it. It appeared to be a rather large and powerful flying fortress of a plane. Snake took out his binnoculars to get a better look. "My God! That's an AC-130; I haven't seen one of those things since my mission at Zanzibar Land! What the hell is that doing here?" Snake wondered.

Back with Eagle Eye, the soldiers managed to reach a decent spot about several hundred feet away from the battlezone on a rooftop. "Ok, boys! We made it! Private Alex, I want you to scan the area ahead and let me know what's happening! Go!" Corporal Matthews instructed. Private Alex did as he was told, and moved up ahead to the ledge of the roof and used his binnoculars to get a better view of what was happening. "What do you, Alex?" Corporal Matthews asked. "I see that them supers are still going at it against that monster, sir. None of them seem to be going down!" Private Alex replied.

Just then, Corporal Matthews' radio went off. " _Eagle Eye, this is Thunder Hammer reporting. What's your status, over?_ " a voice announced. "Finally!" Lieutenant Jones muttered. "Thunder Hammer, this is Eagle Eye. We're ok...for now, over." Corporal Matthews responded. " _Copy that, Eagle Eye. Awaiting for further instructions, over._ " Thunder Hammer said. Corporal Matthews took a deep breath before he spoke up again. "Thunder Hammer, we have a large group of hostiles several hundred feet in front of us. We need you to clear them out, over!" Corporal Matthews said gravely.

Though Private Alex was upset, he knew that he had to follow the orders that were about to be given to him. " _Roger that, Eagle Eye. Just mark your targets on your radar._ " Thunder Hammer began. "That's a negative, Thunder Hammer. Our radar scanners have been wiped out by an EMP attack." Corporal Matthews said. " _Roger that, Eagle Eye. Just pop some smoke in the target's direction and we'll finish the job, over!_ " Thunder Hammer replied. "10-4, Thunder Hammer. You'll get your targets in about 10 seconds, over." Corporal Matthews said grimly.

Corporal Matthews nodded his head at Private Alex, who hung his head sadly before he pulled out one of his smoke grenades. "Come on, Private! We're not getting any younger here; pop that smoke so we can wipe those fuckers out!" Lieutenant Jones snapped. "I'm doin' it, all right?!" Private Alex snapped back. He tossed his smoke grenade over the edge of the roof, watching it as it flew down towards the group of fighting supers down below.

Back below, Snake, Spawn, and Batman were still observing the AC-130 flying overhead, when suddenly a smoke grenade was thrown towards their direction. "GAH! What the hell?!" Spawn exclaimed. "Oh, fuck...EVERYONE FIND COVER, NOW!" Snake shouted as he dove behind a wrecked car. "Wait, what's going on?" Jill asked curiously. Suddenly, several massive exlposions took place and shook almost everyone off their feet by surprise. "AUGH! What the hell is going on?!" Chris cried out in shock. "We're being attacked by an AC-130 aircraft; stay down and keep low!" Snake shouted over the roar of explosions.

Back up with Thunder Hammer, the gun crew kept blasting away with their massive cannons while their navigator pointed out the targets on his computer scanners. "There's another one; right there behind that dumpster!" the navigator announced as he pointed to the screen. "Gotcha!" a gun crew member cried as he unleashed a hail of bullets at his target. " _Keep firing, Thunder Hammer! They're still standing!_ " Lieutenant Jones cried out on the radio. "Copy that, Eagle Eye. Still firing!" the navigator responded.

The massive cannons of the AC-130 continued to rain down bullets and explosives down at the area where the supers were for about 5 minutes, until there appeared to be nothing left. "Ok, boys...I think we got them!" the navigator announced. "Let's see...yup, I don't see anything down there." another navigator added. "There ain't no way anyone survived that barrage!" a gun crew member boasted. "Uh, sir? I think I've found something...there it is! You see that?!" a younger navigator pointed out on the screen. "Huh? What the hell is that thing?!" another navigator cried.

Apparently, the explosive attacks from the AC-130 didn't damage Necrid. Rather, it only got his attention and made him even angrier. Necrid was seen down below roaring and snarling viciously as he shook his fists at the aircraft above. "Fuck! How is he still standing?!" a gun crew member exclaimed. "Never mind how, just shoot him!" the leading navigator ordered. The AC-130 fired several more times at Necrid, but the beast dodged the explosive projectiles before he began running up towards higher ground. "My God, look at that thing move!" a navigator exclaimed. "Don't stop! Keep shooting until it's dead and gone!" the lead navigator shouted.

Back below with Snake and the others, they all slowly crawled out of their hiding spots. "Damn! Is anyone hurt?" Snake called out as he crawled out of cover. "I'm ok!" Jill cried. "Nothing broken here!" Deadpool said. "Hey! Look up there; that monster is chasing after that aircraft!" Captain America pointed out. He was right; Necrid was seen chasing after the AC-130, leaping from building to building to try and reach the gigantic aircraft. "We've gotta stop that monster from reaching that aircraft! If he manages to knock it down from the sky, he'll create even more casualties once it crashes to the ground!" Snake warned.

Spawn had an idea. "I'll see if I can lure that thing away from the aircraft and lead him out of the city. Maybe after he's wasted all of his energy chasing after me, I'll finish him off once and for all!" Spawn proclaimed. "Are you sure?" Snake questioned. "What other option do we have, fool?! Let him destroy the entire fucking city? Besides; it's me that he wants dead!" Spawn snapped. Batman sighed heavily before he nodded his head. "Bruce? Get out of here, and take everyone else with you. We're going to finish this!" Snake instructed.

Several other supers objected to this. "What?! Are you insane? You can't stop him; he's too powerful!" Morrigan cried. "Yeah, if we couldn't find a way to kick his ass, what chance do you have?" Deadpool added. "We're not going anywhere without you guys!" Jill added boldly. "I'm not asking you people for your opinions! I'm giving you an order! Get out of here, now!" Snake growled.

The others would have argued, until Batman spoke up again. "You heard him, people! Let's get going! Besides...Albert Wesker still has a lot to answer for, and we can't let him escape from justice again!" Batman said seriously. Chris and Jill immediately changed their minds when they heard Wesker's name. "Wait, who are we supposed to kill again?" Deadpool asked stupidly. A couple of glares reminded him. "Oh, yeah...Wesker! That evil dude with the cool shades!" Deadpool joked.

As everyone began to go their seperate ways, Morrigan approached Spawn. "Spawn?" she said. "What is it?" Spawn demanded. Morrigan surprised him by trapping him in a tight and loving embrace. "Be careful out there. And please...come back to me!" she whispered passionately. Spawn hesitantly returned the hug, when suddenly Morrigan kissed him. "For luck!" Morrigan whispered with a giggle and a wink.

As Morrigan flew off after the others, Snake approached Spawn. "You ready kid?" he asked. "I'm always ready, old man. Always ready!" Spawn replied. "All right...let's do this!" Snake nodded with a smirk. Spawn could only smirk back; it was time to end this.


	29. The Ultimate Sacrifice!

**Chapter 29: The Ultimate Sacrifice!**

* * *

Necrid was getting closer towards the AC-130. He was climbing up a huge building to use it as a leaping point to get leverage on his target. The navigators saw what Necrid was doing and began to panic. "Oh, God! He's getting closer to us!" a navigator exclaimed. "Calm down, kid! We're several hundred miles up in the air, there is no way in hell that thing will be able to reach us!" an older navigator snapped. "I don't know, man! He looks pissed off! Who knows what this thing will do next?" another navigator added. "Should we open fire, sir?" a gun crew member suggested. "No! We're too close to the city's safe zones; we can't risk it!" the leading navigator exclaimed.

Suddenly, Necrid leapt off of the building's rooftop and came flying towards the AC-130 at breakneck speed. He landed on the massive aircraft's left wing and snarled viciously as he began clawing his way towards the center of the plane. "SHIT! He's onboard! He's onboard!" a pilot screamed. "Fuck! Shake him off!" another pilot exclaimed. "Activate the defense mechanisms! Do whatever you can to shake off this bastard; I'm calling for help!" the leading navigator cried as he ran towards a phone.

Back below, Spawn and Snake climbed up a large building to try and get a better view of what was going on. "See anything, old man?" Spawn asked as he used his chains to help him up to the top. Snake took out his binoculars and cursed as he saw what Necrid was doing. "Damn it! We're too late; that monster has gotten onboard the aircraft!" Snake cried. "Damn! Now what do we do?!" Spawn exclaimed. "There's nothing we can do, kid. Not now, anyways!" Snake replied sadly. "Oh, just for once I wish we had a miracle help us!" Spawn muttered.

Back up with the AC-130, the crew fought desperately to shake off Necrid, who was now pounding his fists against the plane in an effort to cause them to crash. "Shit! We're losing altitude!" the first pilot shouted. "Try and steer us away from the city! We might be able to avoid any more civilian casualties if we land in a more isolated area!" the other pilot suggested as he began steering the massive plane towards the East side of the city. The city was completely unfinished and under construction after the nuclear fallout, but due to high doses of radiation in that area, all construction was canceled. "All right! Hold on tight, everyone! We're going down...come on, you son of a bitch!" the first pilot shouted as he veered the plane even more to the right.

The leading navigator cursed as he slammed the phone down. "Damn it! That monster out there must have somehow disconnected our phone lines! I can't call for backup!" he cried. "Shit! Now what do we do?!" another navigator demanded. "EVERYONE HOLD ON! MAYDAY, MAYDAY! WE'RE GOING DOWN!" the first pilot screamed as the massive aircraft began crashing down towards the ground.

Spawn and Snake watched in awe as they saw the massive aircraft crash down into the East Side of the city. "Damn! I don't believe this!" Spawn exclaimed. "That was a massive multi-billion dollar aircraft that monster just took down!" Snake cried. "We can't just let that thing get away, old man! Come on; let's go!" Spawn encouraged. "You don't need to tell me twice!" Snake said as he began building a strange hovering device. "Wait, what the hell are you doing? This is no time to be building model airplanes!" Spawn snapped.

Snake grinned as he finally finished building his contraption; it was a flying reconnaissance camera known as a Cypher. "Just what do you plan on doing with that, old man?" Spawn demanded. "Transportation!" Snake replied simply before he pressed a button on the Cypher. The Cypher suddenly rose up in the air, and Snake grabbed hold of the device by both sides before it flew off towards the direction where the AC-130 was seen crashing. "Grr...sometimes, I just don't even understand that guy!" Spawn muttered before he used his chains to grapple onto another building. Spawn and Snake then raced each other to try to get to the downed aircraft.

Meanwhile, Batman was leading the other supers in a search for Albert Wesker, when they all suddenly heard the massive crash of the fallen aircraft miles away. "What in the name of Asgard was that?" Thor exclaimed. "I felt it too!" Morrigan exclaimed. Superman gasped as his super hearing caught what was happening. "That monster just took down that aircraft! Those people are in danger!" Superman announced. "Well, there's nothing we can do for them now!" Wolverine said uncaringly.

Several glares were given to him as he said that. "Logan, that's terrible!" Jill scolded. "Why would you say something like that?" Chris added. "That's not right, Logan!" Scarlet Witch cried. "Those idiots were the ones who attacked us, remember? I say they got what they deserved! So let's stop wasting our time and go find Wesker and be done with all this shit!" Wolverine snarled. "Come on, Logan! We're better than that!" Morrigan encouraged. "Maybe you care about those assholes, but I don't!" Wolverine snapped. "So you'd just leave them to die? How does that justify anything?" Morrigan argued. "Lady, you don't know a damn thing about me! You have no idea what those kinds of people have done to me my entire life!" Wolverine growled as he got in her face.

Morrigan scowled as she folded her arms across her chest. "I know that you've been through a lot, Logan. But that doesn't excuse your behavior! Spawn was willing to help us, so why do you want to quit on us now?" she stated. "I never said that I supported any of your views, lady. The only reason I joined you people was because you were the only ones who were capable of defeating Wesker and his forces. He's the only reason I joined you!" Wolverine snapped. "So everything that we've been through basically never happened. Is that what you're saying?" Morrigan challenged. Wolverine growled as he clenched his fists tightly. "I'll say this again; I will not waste my valueble time saving someone's life that means nothing to me!" Wolverine said angrily.

Morrigan glared at him before she began walking away from him. "Wait! Where do you think you're going?!" Wolverine snapped. "I'm going to do the right thing and I'm going to help save those people. If anyone else wants to join me, you're free to do so!" Morrigan announced as she spread out her wings. "I'm in!" Chris said as he walked towards Morrigan. "Me too!" Jill added. "Yeah! Count me in, too!" Green Lantern announced proudly. "Don't forget about me!" Iron-Man said.

Soon enough, almost everyone joined up with Morrigan. "Come on, old man! You're missing out on all the fun!" Deadpool teased. Wolverine just shook his head in annoyance before he began walking away. "Logan! Get back here now! LOGAN!" Morrigan shouted. "Let him go! If he doesn't want to help us, then that's on him! Is there anyone else who wants to leave?" Superman announced. Nobody said a word. "I didn't think so! Now come on; we've got to save those people before it's too late!" Superman announced before he took the lead.

Meanwhile; the crew of the Thunder Hammer struggled to come back to their senses minutes after they crashed. "Ugh...my head hurts!" a navigator groaned. "Is everyone all right? Does anyone have any broken or missing limbs?" a gun crew member cried out. "Nope! We're all right over here!" another gun crew member announced. "Damn it! Where the hell did you take us?" the leading navigator demanded as he cut himself loose of his seat. At first, there was no response from the pilots. "Answer my question!" the leading navigator snapped as he began limping his way towards the cockpit. But to his horror, he realized that both pilots were dead from the impact. "Aw, fuck! The pilots are dead! If you are able, get up and find some supplies. We're getting out of this downed bird!" the leading navigator announced.

As several people began to scavange for supplies, one person looked outside of a window and gasped in horror. "Wait a minute...everyone stop where you are!" the leading gun crew member said. "Why?" another asked. "This area is heavily concentrated with radiation! Unless anybody has a fuck ton of a Rad-Away or a hazmat suit, we won't be going anywhere!" the leading gun crew member said gravely. "What?! Are you fucking kidding me?!" a younger gun crew member shouted. "If we go outside, we'll be dead within minutes!" the leading gun crew member warned. "But we can't just stay in here! We've gotta get outta this place and find-" a navigator began. "This plane was specially crafted to protect us from radioactive substances. Trust me; unless there's a massive crack or gap inside of our vessel or if our oxygen support system is damaged, we'll be all right. All we need to do is find a way to call for help!" the leading gun crew member said.

The leading navigator sighed heavily as he shook his head. "The phones are all dead! I've tried them all, and I can't get a damn signal!" he said sadly. "Don't worry about that, old man. There's an emergency radio somewhere onboard this vessel. We just have to find it and then everything will be fine!" the leading gun crew member explained. Suddenly, a loud roar was heard from outside. "Oh, shit! We better hurry! Come on, get moving!" the leading gun crew member shouted.

Back outside, Necrid stood on a pile of debris several hundred feet away from the wrecked AC-130. Now it was his chance to finish off his prey. But as he began marching towards the wrecked aircraft, Spawn and Snake approached a ruined building and landed on the rooftop, getting a good view of what was going on. "We made it. But I don't know how much longer those poor fools will have!" Spawn announced. "Oh no!" Snake said as he observed the area. "What now?" Spawn demanded. "This area is heavily congested with radioactive waste. There's no way we can get inside of that place without proper protection; we'd be dead within minutes!" Snake said gravely.

Spawn took a deep breath before he began making his way down the building, much to Snake's dismay. "Spawn! What the hell are you doing?! Stop!" Snake cried. "Don't worry about me, old man! Radiation can't kill something that's dead. You've done your part, so just get out of here. Leave this to me!" Spawn announced. "Get back here, kid! You won't stand a chance against that thing alone!" Snake demanded. "I made my choice, old man! There's only one thing that can put an end to all this madness, and that's me! I know the monster's weakness now, so let me take him. Besides; somebody is going to have to find Wesker and stop him from creating more of these things!" Spawn snapped.

Snake didn't want to admit it, but deep down he knew that Spawn was right. Snake couldn't possibly survive in a heavily radioactive area alone, and even if he could, then who would be able to stop Wesker? "All right, kid. You've made your point!" Snake replied at last. Spawn made it to the ground and looked up at Snake with a grim expression on his face. This would be the last time they would probably see each other, but Spawn was more than willing to sacrifice himself in order to save the world against Necrid's terror. Snake looked down at him with sadness, but reminded himself that this was part of the mission.

Besides; he still had to do his part in finding Wesker. If Spawn was willing to listen to him all this time, then the least he could do was return the favor. "Spawn, wait!" Snake called out. "What is it, old man?" Spawn demanded growing impatient. Snake tried to get the words out of his mouth, but he couldn't seem to find anything to say. He wouldn't show it, but he was in great emotional turmoil right now. He knew that this could be the last time he'd speak with Spawn, as he had grown quite attached to him and considered him a good friend.

Finally, Snake was able to say the one thing that came to mind. Something he promised himself he wouldn't do until much later, but now knew that this couldn't wait. "David!" Snake said at last. Spawn was a bit confused as he said that. "What?!" Spawn demanded. "My real name is David! That's what my friends call me; David!" Snake explained. Spawn softened up a bit as he said that. "Raizo was my human name!" Spawn replied. "I know, kid. I've heard your wife call you by name before!" Snake said trying not to sound rude.

Spawn couldn't help but chuckle as he said that. "Thank you! For everything...I wouldn't have made it this far without your help. You're a good man, David. You're more human than you give yourself credit for!" Spawn said. Snake didn't know how to respond to that. Snake didn't really consider himself a true human being, considering the fact that he was a clone and all. But hearing Spawn say that to him really meant a lot to him. "Thank you, kid. I'm glad you think that...because I feel the same way about you!" Snake said in a heavy voice.

Spawn nodded his head in response, with Snake saluting him. As Spawn began marching towards the wreckage, his cape transformed into his Agony Axe. This would probably be his final battle, and he would be willing to die in order to win this battle. Snake, being the battlehardened man he was, felt a single tear roll down his cheek. "Good luck out there, kid." he muttered. "Never thought I'd see you cry, tough guy!" Deadpool teased. Snake gasped as he turned around to find all the other supers facing him. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" Snake demanded. "We heard the crash! We thought we'd lend a hand!" Superman answered.

Snake sighed heavily as he shook his head. "Don't even bother. This place is plagued with radiation; we'd probably all be dead within minutes!" Snake said sadly. "What? What do you mean by that?!" Green Lantern demanded. Batman took a step forward and scanned the area with a radioactive scanner. Its readings were critical, off the charts even. "Damn! You're not kidding, Snake. There's enough radiation in this place to match the sun's center core." Batman announced with great shock in his voice. "Wait a minute...there's something familiar about this place!" Morrigan announced. "Yeah...I can't seem to point my finger on it, but there is something familiar about this area." Deadpool added.

Snake looked all around and sighed. "This is the place where Razor activated that nuke. We're in the center of where all this hell began!" Snake announced grimly. "Wait...where's Spawn?" Morrigan asked. Snake shook his head sadly, upsetting Morrigan and a few others. "No! You mean he's down there all by himself?!" Morrigan exclaimed. "He knows the risks, Morrigan. Besides; that radioactivity won't effect him because he's an undead being." Snake explained. "He won't stand a chance against that thing alone!" Ghost Rider proclaimed before he took off on his Hell Cycle to go after him. "Ghost Rider, wait!" Captain America cried. "HULK WILL FOLLOW!" the Hulk shouted as he leapt off the building. "You're not leaving without me!" Morrigan proclaimed as she flew off after them. "Yeah!" Fawkes thundered.

Snake wanted to object, but Superman stopped him. "Don't! Let us handle this, Snake. You've done your part!" Superman insisted. "You're not going in there too, are you? You could die of radiation poisoning!" Snake warned. "I'm the Man of Steel; I've survived everything, even death. What could possibly go wrong?" Superman boasted. "When you say that, it makes me worry even more!" Snake sighed. "Aw, quit your bitching! He'll be all right!" Green Lantern boasted.

Spawn finally arrived at the scene, with Necrid snarling and roaring as he began attacking the downed aircraft. "HEY! Get away from there, and fight me you son of a bitch!" Spawn cried as he threw a ball of Necroplasm at the monster. Necrid cried out in shock as he was attacked. He did not expect Spawn to follow him. Necrid growled in anger as he jumped away from the plane and morphed both arms into massive blades. "Let's finish this once and for all, you ugly bastard!" Spawn growled as he drew out his Agony Axe.

Both Hellspawns glared at each other before they finally rushed towards each other and began a brutal brawl. Spawn hacked and slashed away at Necrid, while the beast used his brute strength to kick, claw, and slash at Spawn. Spawn struggled against Necrid until he remembered something that Snake told him a while ago. " _Use your speed and agility against Necrid._ " Snake's voice reminded him. Spawn grunted as he caught himself in a blade lock with Necrid, trying his hardest to withstand against Necrid's brute strength.

Finally, Spawn pulled off a sneaky move and found himself doing the unthinkable. He let Necrid beat him by breaking through the blade lock and slash at him multiple times before tackling him to the ground. Necrid began to pound his fists furiously against Spawn, and despite it being very painful, Spawn knew that he only had one chance of beating this abomination.

Necrid beat Spawn up for a few minutes, until finally Spawn made his move. He sneakily wrapped a chain around Necrid's neck and yanked him off before Spawn got back up and tackled Necrid to a wall. Both monsters grappled with each other for several minutes, until Spawn finally gained the upper hand. He threw Necrid into another wall before he used his Necro-Speed attacks on him. Teleporting around Necrid several times, Spawn kicked and slashed with his Agony Axe at lightning fast speed.

Though the attacks were not strong, they were enough to catch Necrid off guard for a while. Spawn continued to slash at Necrid from all sides, until he finally unleashed a devastating hyper combo move on him. He grabbed Necrid from behind and threw him up into the air. Spawn threw many balls of Necroplasm at Necrid, making the demonic monster screech in pain as he was hit. Finally, Spawn teleported up into the air and smashed his Agony Axe down into Necrid's chest, forcing him smashing into the ground.

The force of the attack was so strong, it created a crack on Necrid's power core. Now that his source of power was damaged, Necrid's energy attacks were useless. "I got you now, you son of a bitch!" Spawn snarled as he grabbed Necrid by the throat and punched his face several times. However, Spawn wasn't expecting Necrid to react so violently. Spawn kept on punching Necrid until the demon grabbed Spawn by his fist and began squeezing it with a steel grip. Even without his energy attacks, Necrid still had his brute strength.

Necrid pushed Spawn's knuckles back, making him scream in agony. Necrid snickered evilly before he grabbed Spawn by the neck and began brutalizing him with savage punches and kicks. As Necrid continued to brutalize Spawn, Superman and several other supers witnessed this and grew very worried. "Oh no! Look; Spawn is losing!" Morrigan cried. "HULK WILL SMASH UGLY MONSTER MAN!" the Hulk shouted as he shook his fists. "No! Let him go; we need to focus on saving these humans!" Ghost Rider said as he held the Hulk back by snagging his chains onto the Hulk's left arm. "What?! Are you insane? He'll die if we don't help him!" Morrigan screeched. "Let them fight!" Ghost Rider snarled as he let go of the Hulk.

As Ghost Rider began to use his fire powers to cut a hole through the impenetrable steel of the aircraft, the Hulk glared angrily at him along with Morrigan. "YOU DARE CHALLENGE HULK?!" the Hulk growled. "No...I think he's just letting his ego get ahold of him!" Morrigan seethed. "I can hear you fools, you know!" Ghost Rider sneered as he ripped a huge chunk of metal off the plane. Morrigan clenched her fists, but Superman touched her shoulder to calm her down. "He's right, Morrigan. We can't risk losing the civilians' lives. Besides; Snake says that Spawn willingly did this. We all have to play our part!" Superman said wisely.

Suddenly, a loud cry was heard. Everyone turned around to find Necrid brutally punching Spawn in the gut as he held him by the scruff of his neck. The force of Necrid's punches were so powerful, it caused Spawn to cough up blood...or in his case, Necroplasm. Everyone but Ghost Rider watched in horror as this happened. "He's not fighting back! What the hell?!" Green Lantern exclaimed. Morrigan's eyes began flooding with tears. "Spawn...no!" she whispered. "HULK WANNA FIGHT MONSTER MAN!" Hulk shouted as he stamped his foot into the ground. "Me too! I do not wish to let my friend suffer!" Fawkes added. "No! Trust me; I know his type...he won't go down without making sure his opponent goes down with him!" Ghost Rider said as he stepped inside of the aircraft.

But as Ghost Rider went inside, he grew very grim. "So how are those civilians?" Superman asked. "Too late! They're all dead; they were dead before we even got here!" Ghost Rider said grimly. This made Superman very angry. "What? No! I don't believe you!" Superman exclaimed as he ripped another chunk off the plane to get a look for himself. But Ghost Rider was right; the poor humans had died of radiation poisoning during Necrid's attempt to tear the plane apart. Necrid's attacks caused the plane's oxygen system to fail, thus killing off their air supplies. But if that wasn't bad enough, Necrid had also caused a huge crack in the ceiling to form, causing the radiation to seep in and kill the humans in a matter of minutes.

Superman drooped his head down low and clenched his fists tightly. "Uh, you ok Superman?" Morrigan asked. Superman shed bitter tears before he unleashed a feral scream of rage. Superman's screams were loud enough to be heard from miles away, but that didn't stop Necrid from beating the shit out of Spawn. "Come on, you bastard...is that the best you've got?" Spawn taunted even though he was in great pain.

Necrid snarled as he grabbed Spawn by the face and slammed him to the ground. He was about to stab an arm blade into Spawn's chest, when suddenly something...or someone tackled him away. Spawn gasped in shock as he turned to see what had happened; Superman flew into a rage and began beating the living daylights out of Necrid. Necrid wasn't expecting there to be anymore opponents, and was unfortunately now on the losing side.

As Superman punched Necrid into oblivion, the Hulk joined in and bashed Necrid with his shoulder before he grabbed him by the legs and began smashing him around like a rag doll. Ghost Rider grimaced as he shook his head, but finally joined in on the fight as he snagged onto Necrid with his flaming chains. As the heroes continued to fight against Necrid, Morrigan rushed over towards Spawn, who laid on the ground wounded and weak. "Spawn! Spawn, are you all right?! Please answer me!" Morrigan cried as she knelt down to his side.

Spawn groaned and wheezed in pain; Necrid had given him a good beating. "Morrigan...don't...worry about me, please. It's ok; I want this!" Spawn said weakly. "No! I can't let you die! Come on, get up! You can still win; just go out there and fight!" Morrigan encouraged. "I intend to, Morrigan. Listen...there's something I have to say to you. Something I've been meaning to say to you for a while." Spawn said weakly. "What is it? You can tell me!" Morrigan replied with a sniffle. Spawn groaned as he slowly lifted himself up from the ground, with a little help from Morrigan. "I know about your relationship with my wife, Reika. But I want you to know that I'm not upset." Spawn said wearily.

Morrigan gulped nervously as he said that. "How did you know? And...why are you not mad at me?! Don't you feel ashamed of me for what I did to you and her?" Morrigan wept. "No...not at all. If anything, I'm happy that you two got along. Really, I am. I don't know why you chose to stay here with me after the way I've treated you, but I want you to know that I do appreciate you. Thank you!" Spawn said weakly.

Morrigan began to cry as she hugged him close to her chest. "Don't mention it, babe. I promised myself that I'd look after you after she passed. I just hope that I did a good job, that's all!" Morrigan sobbed. Spawn appeared to purr as he gently stroked her face. "You did, hon. You did...and I'm proud to call you my partner. My friend!" Spawn said kindly. Morrigan began to cry harder, that is until Spawn suddenly removed his mask. Morrigan gasped at the sight of his hideously scarred face, when it suddenly changed into his former human self, Raizo. "I love you Morrigan. But I love you like a sister. I'm sorry that I hurt you!" he whispered passionately before he kissed her lips.

Morrigan yelped as she was suddenly kissed, but eventually found herself enjoying the kiss. But as Raizo pulled away and turned back into Spawn, she knew what was going to happen next. "Wait! Don't go...please!" Morrigan begged. "Goodbye, Morrigan!" Spawn said before he began rushing into the battle. "Raizo, come back! I LOVE YOU!" Morrigan screamed.

 ***Hans Zimmer: Coup de Grace plays!***

While the two had their moment, Necrid had managed to fight off all the supers and was about to inflict some serious damage on Superman, when suddenly Spawn tackled him away. Spawn cried out fierecely as he unleashed a deadly set of punches and kicks on Necrid, once again throwing the beast off guard. Spawn finally managed to gain the upperhand again as he smashed his fist into Necrid's power core.

This time, Spawn was able to smash it completely as his fist not only rammed right through the power core, but also through Necrid's chest. Necrid cried out in pain and shock from the attack, but he would be damed before he would go down without taking his opponent with him. So he pulled off one last nasty trick. His right hand was sheathed by a gauntlet made of steel, and with just a mere thought, a sharpened blade of steel emerged from the gauntlet.

Necrid snarled viciously as he stabbed the blade into Spawn's chest, making the Hellspawn cry out in agony from the attack. Both monsters struggled to kill each other in a final battle of strength and will, until at long last Spawn won by surging Necroplasm into Necrid from his fist, causing the beast to scream as he was slowly eaten away by the corrosive substance from the inside out.

Spawn screamed as he unleashed a final burst of Necroplasmic Energy, and with the final scream of Necrid's fury along with his own, Spawn created a massive explosion of Necroplasm. The force of the attack was so strong, that it blinded the other supers who watching this. For the longest few minutes of their lives, everyone couldn't see a thing. "What happened?!" Jill exclaimed as her eyes stung. "I don't know! I can't see anything!" Batman said.

Snake's eyes finally began adjust to the bright light. "Kid? Kid?! Oh, no...it can't be!" Snake whispered. Back with Morrigan and the others who were down below at the battle scene, she gasped in horror as she saw what appeared to be a wrinkled, withered up ghoul slowly trudging towards them. That's when it hit her. "RAIZO!" Morrigan screeched.

The poor shriveled up soul fell to his knees before Morrigan rushed over towards him and cradled him in her arms. "Raizo, you're ok! You've won! It's over now! We're all here for you, baby. I'm here for you!" Morrigan sobbed. The poor wretched soul that was once Raizo only sighed as his lifeless eyes gazed up at Morrigan; Spawn was fading away fast now that he used up all his Necroplasm powers. "Morrigan..." Spawn gasped weakly. "Shh...it's ok. I'm here for you now, sweetheart. I'm here!" Morrigan shushed. "Morrigan...tell Snake...I'm sorry!" Spawn wheezed. "No, Raizo! It's ok, you don't need to-" Morrigan snapped trying to hide her bitter tears. "Tell Snake...I'm sorry...about Samus." Spawn said before he breathed his last.

As Spawn died in Morrigan's arms, Morrigan lost all control of her emotions and sobbed loudly, screaming in both anger and sorrow for the death of Spawn. Everyone else just watched this with either grave sorrow or bitter regret. Solid Snake, who was closest to Spawn, saw Morrigan carrying Spawn's lifeless body up towards them. Snake didn't know how to react at first. He knew that he should be crying, but he shed more than enough tears.

Deep down, he knew that this is what Spawn wanted. But that didn't stop him from saluting Spawn as his dead body was carried away. All the other supers either bowed their heads in respect or saluted Spawn as his body was carried away by Morrigan. Morrigan gently placed his dead body down on a slab of rock and kneeled before him, weeping bitterly for the loss of a good friend.

 ***Song ends!***

Suddenly, several groups of soldiers and men in hazmat suits were seen approaching them. Snake couldn't really remember what else happened after that, due to him not taking his eyes off of Spawn. His mission was done now...but Snake's wasn't. There was still one last thing left for him to do. Snake approached a familiar face. "Commander Lyons?" Snake asked. "Yes?" she replied simply. "Where is Albert Wesker?" he asked simply.

Lyons grew grim before she spoke again. "He was trying to escape into an airport, but the US Marine Corps shot down the plane he was attempting to fly off in before it even got off the ground. He's in custody now, and his trial begins tomorrow." she explained. "I want to see him. There's something I need to say to him!" Snake said. "I'm afraid that won't be possible; you'll have to speak with the Commanding General of the United States Marine Corps." Lyons explained.

Snake nodded his head grimly. "Thank you. That will do!" Snake replied simply. "Hey...are you ok?" Lyons asked. Snake just stared at her before he walked away. "Fawkes? You still up for one last mission?" Snake asked. "I'm always ready to fight by your side, my friend. Where to next?" Fawkes offered. "We're going to pay Wesker a visit; he's got a lot to answer for!" Snake explained as he walked away with Fawkes by his side.

Fawkes grunted softly as he nodded his head. "What shall become of Spawn? Where will he bury his body?" Fawkes asked in curiousity. "Our friends will take care of that; right now, Wesker is my main priority!" Snake replied. "Whatever you say, Snake." Fawkes said simply as he cracked his knuckles. Even if it would kill him, Snake would pay Wesker one final visit before he was put away for life...or better yet, executed.


	30. The Beginning of Something New!

**Chapter 30: The Beginning of Something New!**

* * *

Snake and Fawkes made their way to pay a "visit" to Wesker. Meanwhile Snake was absorbed in his thoughts, thinking about what had just occurred recently. " _Raizo…I'm not exactly surprised that you're gone. I just wish you weren't. If we could switch places, I would take the bullet for you without a second thought. But it's the choice that you made, that you wanted. I'm sure if I could ask you, you would tell me you would do it again and again._ " Snake thought.

Snake and Fawkes traveled through the Wasteland, careful to avoid contact with anyone. They had to approach Wesker without raising any suspicion, lest the rumor of somebody assassinating Wesker would soon get around. As Snake and Fawkes approached a canyon wall, they had no choice but to climb up. Fawkes gave Snake a boost, and as he started climbing, Fawkes began to climb up after him.

As they climbed, Snake continued to ponder deep in thought. " _I remember I started trying to talk with you because I didn't want you to make the same mistakes I did. I didn't want your life to be consumed by hatred and anger after Reika had died. She wouldn't have wanted it either. I made it my self-appointed mission to show you that even with Reika, the one person you loved gone, there were other reasons to keep on living…other reasons to keep on fighting. I knew we didn't get along back in my Insurgency days. I knew you hated me, but I just didn't care. I didn't have anything to lose._ " Snake continued in his thoughts.

Eventually, Snake and Fawkes reached the top of the canyon and continued to trek through the Wasteland. They eventually found themselves wandering through an abandoned town. Snake and Fawkes carefully continued through, due to the fact that there might have been raiders waiting for them to try and rob them. Suddenly, that suspicion came true when a group of raiders jumped out of nowhere and attacked them.

As Snake and Fawkes fought off the raiders, Snake still continued to think about Spawn. " _I'll never forget how our alliance started. I spoke to you, you got angry and you started beating the shit out of me. Yet I didn't fight back, even when you were ready to kill me. You were so confused as to why. Why would anyone go out of their way to help someone like you without wanting anything in return? It was my persistence that finally convinced you to hear me out. Even then you tried to convince me that I would be wasting my time. You thought that you were a lost cause, but I didn't._ " Snake thought again.

After finishing off the raiders, Snake and Fawkes pushed on. They found themselves wandering through an abandoned campground that belonged to the NCR, though they remained cautious. Who knows what else they might run into? Eventually, Snake and Fawkes found out that Legion Troops had been attacking local NCR forces. Without a leader, the NCR began to crumble apart. But despite the scenes of carnage, Snake didn't care. He was still too busy thinking of Spawn. " _I was right…I'm so damn glad that I was right. Slowly but surely the humanity in you that you believed to be non-existent started to show itself. You showed empathy, compassion, tolerance, selflessness. All emotions that a regular Hellspawn is incapable of showing._ " Snake thought yet again.

Snake and Fawkes continued on through the Wasteland, until they once again found themselves forcing to hide. This time, they found shelter in a cave while NCR forces engaged in a bloody battle against Legion Troops. But once again, Snake did not care about what was happening in the world. He was too focused on Spawn. " _Our mission may have started with your motivations being your grudge against Wesker. But in the end, it wasn't about that for you. It was about protecting the world. And you showed it by giving your life to save it, just like Reika did._ " Snake reminisced.

Finally, the battle between the NCR and the Legion began to draw away, and Snake and Fawkes made a run for it. As they continued to run through the Wasteland, Snake seemed to feel a bit more confident about his relationship with Spawn. " _Now I know I made the right choice! Raizo, if you're listening, you'd better know that I am so god damn proud of you! I feel almost like a father being proud of his son. You did what needed to be done. Now all that's left is for me to finish what we started. I am going to put an end to Wesker, and put an end to the suffering he plagues the world with._ " Snake thought.

Finally, Snake and Fawkes arrived at the base where Wesker was being held. Snake smiled, knowing that Spawn's death had not been in vain. " _Raizo? Say hello to Reika for me. I will always remember the both of you. I hope we can see each other again my friend._ " he once again thought. "Something troubling you, my friend?" Fawkes finally asked Snake. Snake took a deep breath and sighed. "No, Fawkes. Everything is all right!" Snake replied.

Snake and Fawkes began to approach the entrance of the base, when suddenly they were stopped by heavily armed Marines. "Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going? This area is off limits!" a marine shouted as he aimed his M4A1 assault rifle at Snake. "I'm here to see Albert Wesker." Snake replied simply. "The hell you are, asshole! You best turn your ass around and start walking. We've got orders to shoot anyone who comes anywhere near here that ain't in uniform!" another marine threatened. "I'm afraid I won't be going anywhere until I speak with Wesker." Snake insisted.

Another marine approached him, face to face. "You got crap in your ears or something, punk?! You and your friend here better fuck off, or else things are going to get ugly around here!" he snarled. Snake grinned as he gently and carefully reached for a flash grenade strapped to his waist. "I'm sorry about this, fellas. Truly I am!" Snake said before as he took a couple of steps back.

Suddenly, Snake threw his flash grenade at the marines and blinded them. "Now Fawkes! Remember, though! Don't kill them!" Snake shouted. Fawkes cried out fiercely as he pummeled the marines with his fists, but was also careful enough not to use too much brute force. Eventually, Fawkes knocked them all out cold and used his bare hands to tear down the huge steel doors of the base.

As Snake and Fawkes entered inside of the base, an alarm went off. Snake approached a security desk and activated a computer terminal. As he began hacking into the security system, several more marines came rushing into the scene. "Fawkes! Cover me while I deactivate the alarm!" Snake cried. "You got it, Snake!" Fawkes said as he grabbed some furniture and began blocking up all the doors. As Fawkes barricaded the doors, the marines struggled to break through to the other side. "Damn it! It's barricaded from the other side!" a marine cursed. "Just push harder!" another snapped. "Tell the commander what's happened; we've been breached!" a third shouted.

Finally, Snake was able to disarm the alarm system, as well as unlocking the door to the prison where Wesker was being held at. "All right, come on Fawkes. We don't have much time!" Snake urged. "Ok, Snake. You lead the way, and I shall follow!" Fawkes responded with a salute. Snake grinned at Fawkes, admiring his loyalty. As Snake and Fawkes began to make their way towards the prison, the Commanding General arrived with several more marines. "Captain O'Neil?! What the hell is going on in here?!" he demanded angrily. "We've been breached, sir! There are at least two hostiles within our base, and we have every right to believe that they're after Wesker!" one of the Marines responded.

The General cursed before he ordered some shock troopers to blast open the doors. "Everyone stand back! Charges set and going off at 3...2...1!" a shock trooper cried. As the door was blasted wide open, the Commanding General sent out his men to search the base for ther intruders. "Spread out and find them! Don't let them get anywhere near Albert Wesker!" the Commanding General shouted. "Alpha Team? This way, to the Southeast Corridor!" Captain O'Neil ordered his group. "Delta Team! Follow me towards the West Corridor; we're gonna flank these assholes!" a shock trooper announced.

Meanwhile; Snake and Fawkes entered the prison. All jail cells were empty, save for one. "Fawkes? Get out of here; I'll finish this!" Snake ordered. "What?! Um, are you sure you won't need my help?" Fawkes replied in surprise. "I need you to take care of any incoming resistance for me, Fawkes. No matter what happens, don't let anyone come in here. Do you understand?" Snake instructed. Fawkes nodded his head before he took off.

Snake took a deep breath before he finally walked through the empty prison. He finally approached his destination; Cell 666. He drew out his .45 SOCOM pistol, approached the steel door, and shot off the lock before he slowly opened the door. As he Wesker's cell, the man lifted up his head to look at his surprise visitor. "Snake. Never a pleasure!" Wesker growled. "It's over Wesker." Snake said.

Wesker scoffed at him. "Oh really?" he sneered. "Necrid is dead, and you can forget about creating another Hellspawn, because Spawn died with him." Snake explained as he tightened his fists. Wesker looked shocked to hear that."What?! Impossible! How did you...you...you bastard! Everything would have gone according to plan if it wasn't for you!" Wesker shouted with seething rage.

Snake laughed softly as he said that, further angering the madman. "Why me? I don't have super powers. I didn't destroy your precious experiment." Snake taunted. "Shut up! You know that's not the point! Everything was perfect! The Insurgency was in a mess, Spawn was going around relying on his brute strength to solve his problems, and the supers were bickering like a bunch of children. Then you had to come along and be the voice of reason!" Wesker cried angrily.

Snake frowned as he said that. "It sounds like you should have focused on killing me, instead. And besides, you give yourself too much credit. You couldn't even control Necrid. It wasn't acting in your best interests, it was a mindless Hellspawn indulging in its desire for chaos." Snake argued. Wesker chuckled evilly as he said that. "Maybe so; but I would be more than happy with the knowledge that I created the ultimate weapon!" he sneered.

Snake holstered his gun as he allowed Wesker to speak. "Yes...you did. But you failed!" Snake retorted. "Oh, is that so? Tell me something, Snake. Did you come all this way just to let me know that I've failed? That's nice of you and all, but I've failed before and that hasn't stopped me. Besides; it doesn't matter anymore. I've won...I've struck the ultimate deal with the devil!" Wesker taunted.

Snake widened his eyes as he said that. "What did you do this time, you maniac?" Snake demanded. Wesker laughed evilly as he laid his head back against the wall. "What else? I sold my soul! In exchange, my new friends will bring even more chaos, destruction, and death upon this world. No one, not even you, will be able to stop them. I've rung the dinner bell. And now, the fiends of Hell are hungry! Dormammu has such plans for your realm, my dear boy! He and his hellish horde are coming! And there's nothing you can do to stop them! Face it, you fool...I've won. And the best part is...I'm just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!" Wesker explained with evil laughter.

Snake didn't know how to react to this at first. He was shocked to hear of all this new information, but at the same time he had a feeling that Wesker would still have one last trick left up his sleeve. Finally, after a moment of silence, Snake turned his back on Wesker and began to speak. "You know something, Wesker? Maybe you're right. Maybe I won't be able to stop this next invasion. Maybe, I won't be able to save the world." Snake said softly.

Suddenly, Snake quickly turned around and punched Wesker on the top of the head with brass knuckles. "But guess what? I'm not gonna let you sit back and revel in others' suffering anymore! Not while I'm still breathing!" Snake snarled. Wesker felt blood dropping down his head. He couldn't defend himself with his hands cuffed. "WHAT?!" Wesker screamed.

Snake used his brass knuckles and wailed away on Wesker's face for a solid minute until it was covered in blood. Snake grabbed Wesker by the throat and lifted him up to his feet. "What are you doing, you psychopath?!" Wesker tried to speak. It was Snake's turn to laugh. "Oh! That's real rich, coming from the same asshole who murdered millions of innocent lives without giving a single fuck! You wanna know why I'm here, Albert? I'll tell you!" Snake shouted as he punched Wesker in the face again.

Wesker groaned as he felt his nose break. "I am here to represent everything that is coming to you! The lives you've taken…the pain you've caused…it is all here now! AND IT IS BACK TO PUNISH YOU!" Snake said and let out his tranquil fury. Taking out his knife, he stabbed Wesker in the abdomen. "This is for what you did to Logan!" He stabbed him again. "To Superman! To Batman! To Chris! To Fawkes!" He stabbed him once more for each name he said.

Putting the knife away, Snake started bashing Wesker's skull against the wall repeatedly. He pushed him back against the wall and drew out his HF blade. He cut him twice across the chest, creating an X shaped gash. He readied his sword for a fierce thrust. "This is for everyone who has been killed or has suffered because of your actions!" He proclaimed and then thrusted the sword into Wesker's midsection, penetrating through his body and piercing into the wall behind him. He was pinned against the wall with the sword acting like a nail. He began coughing up blood profusely.

Despite the brutality of Snake's actions, there was no anger seen on his face, no rage in his heart. He wasn't doing this for himself, for revenge. He was doing it for his friends, for the world. As Wesker cried out in agony, Snake retrieved his SOCOM pistol and aimed it. "For Samus." He said and shot the left side of Wesker's chest. He aimed at the right side. "For Reika." He said and pulled the trigger, putting another bullet in him. "And this…is for my friend; Raizo." Snake said as he aimed his gun at Wesker's head.

Pulling the trigger one more time, he put a bullet right through Wesker's brain. Any movement from the man stopped. Though Wesker was sure to be dead, Snake was not taking any chances. He pulled the HF blade out the body and quickly sliced Wesker's head clean off. The corpse dropped to the ground like a sack of bricks, the head landed close to it as well. Snake put the blade back into its sheath, and then crushed Wesker's head under his foot. Even if he was dead, Snake wasn't done with him. He didn't want to see a bit of him remaining. He took out a canteen of kerosene and poured it on the remains. Finally, he took out his lighter, activated it, and then threw it onto the body. He left the room as the body of Wesker began burning to ashes.

As Snake walked, he sighed heavily as he wiped sweat and blood from his brow. " _Everyone? It's over now. Thank you!_ " Snake thought. But before he could leave the base, he was stopped by what appeared to be the entire United States Marine Corps. The Commanding General stood before Snake, along with countless other heavily armed marines. But if that wasn't enough, Fawkes was seen being held hostage at gunpoint. "I'm sorry, Snake! I did my best!" Fawkes apologized. Snake nodded at him, when suddenly the Commanding General approached Snake.

He scowled angrily as he glared at Snake, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. "So...you're the reason all this chaos has happened in my base, are you? Tell me...give me one good reason why I shouldn't have you executed in front of the whole fucking world for this! One good reason, and I may find an ounce of mercy left in me! I may even let you and your friend go!" the Commanding General warned.

Snake just stared at the man, much to General's frustration. "I see. Have it your way!" he said before he turned away. But before another word could be said by the General, Snake spoke up, loud enough that everyone could hear him. "Wesker is dead! But the world is still in danger!" Snake announced. The General stopped in his tracks as he said that. "And?" he said as he turned around. "You kill me, you'll never know what you're up against next. Wesker told me everything, and if you kill me, you'll have nobody but yourself to blame when the next invasion comes." Snake challenged.

The General sighed as he removed his helmet and rubbed the sweat off his forehead. "What did he tell you, son?" he asked at last. "Let me friend go, and I'll tell you everything you need to know!" Snake stated. "Very well. Boys...let that _thing_ go!" the General ordered referring to Fawkes. "Yes sir!" Captain O'Neil replied with a salute. As Fawkes was set free, he looked over to Snake. Snake looked back at him, reassurring him that everything would be fine. "Goodbye, my friend! It has been a real pleasure working with you. I shall never forget you, Snake!" Fawkes whispered before he left.

As Fawkes left, the Commanding General approached Snake again. "All right. So tell me; what did Wesker say to you?" the General asked. "Not here, General. In private!" Snake replied. "You're a pushy son of a bitch, you know that?" the General snarled. "With all due respect sir, the information that I'm about to reveal to you should befall on your ears." Snake urged. The General sighed as he shook his head, but he agreed. "Soldiers? Clean up this mess that our friend here so kindly left us! In the meantime, I'll be having talk with him at my quarters!" the General ordered. "Yes sir! Soldiers? Dismissed!" one of the General's spokespersons cried.

And with that, Snake was brought into the General's private quarters to discuss what Wesker revealed to him.

 ***3 Days Later***

Snake stood over Spawn's grave, which was right next to Reika Kitami. Snake gently placed a fresh rose on Reika's grave before he placed another on Spawn's grave. As he gave a salute to both his fallen comrades, several familiar faces approached him. "Hey, Snake." Bruce Wayne said as he approached him in a suave suit and tie. "Bruce, it's good to see you. I see you brought some friends." Snake replied referring to the others. Superman, dressed up as Clark Kent, approached Spawn and Reika's resting place. As he bowed his head in respect, a tear formed in his eye. "I've failed them!" he said at last. "No...no you didn't. They knew what they signed up for!" Bruce kindly assured. "No...I mean I failed humanity. I let my own emotions get in the way and I hurt them. Now because of me, the world hates supers even more!" Clark said mournfully.

Morrigan Aensland approached him, wearing an attractive yet modest black dress. "That's not true, honey. If anything, the world needs us!" she said reassuringly. "She's right, Kal-El. We need to let go of the past and focus on the future. The fate of the Earth depends on us now more than ever!" Queen Dianne said gravely. "Yeah, now that the United Nations has agreed to allow supers to fight for them again, we're gonna have more responsibilities than ever before. We can't let them down!" Steve Rogers added. "He's right, you know. Look...we're all capable of making mistakes. But we're even more capable of learning from them!" Jill Valentine said kindly.

Kal-El nodded his head as they said that. "Yes. You're right! We need to stay the course and keep fighting!" he said. "That's the spirit." Chris Redfield said as he clapped his shoulder. "But there's hardly anyone left to help us now!" Tony Stark objected. "Tony!" Morrigan exclaimed. "What? It's true; the supers that did help us are either dead, in prison, or missing. We're running out of options here!" Tony insisted. "I wouldn't be sure of that, bub!" a familiar face announced.

Everyone turned around to find Logan approaching them, alongside with another familiar face. It was Erik Lehnsherr, or more notably, Magneto! "I'm sorry about leavin' you behind. I had other things to take care of!" Logan apologized. "Such as what?" Morrigan demanded. "Enough! These are dark times we're facing, my dear. We'll have to set aside our petty rivalries for what we're about to face. We need fresh recruits for the battle that is to come!" Erik scolded. "Well, where are we going to get these recruits?" Tony demanded. "They're out there. We just need to find them and convince them to join us in our cause!" Erik replied wisely.

Everyone nodded their heads in silence before Snake finally spoke up. "Well, we're not getting anywhere just standing here. Let's get to work!" Snake announced. "Just like that?" Morrigan asked. "Just like that. The time for mourning is over. We have a job to do!" Snake replied. Morrigan nodded her head in response. "Ok, then. Where do we start?" she asked. "If I remember correctly, there are certain individuals with extraordinary powers living here in Empire Plaza as we speak. I believe that there are even a few individuals somewhere in Africa. More notably, the Kingdom of Wakanda!" Erik explained. "All right! I'll take a group with me to Africa, the rest of you do some digging around here. Anything goes wrong, you know what to do!" Snake instructed. "All right, team...let's move out!" Captain America cried.

But while they left, they were completely unaware that two dark figures were watching them from the distance. They were hiding in the shadows of a ruined tomb. "Hmm...how interesting! It appears that our enemies seem to have become stronger than we anticipated. What shall we do now?" the first figure asked the other. " _Let them gather in numbers...we'll have plenty more souls to harvest!_ " the second figure replied in a dark, demonic tone. "Are you certain that is wise?" the first asked. " _Trust me...even with their combined efforts, nothing will stop me! Now that I am almost at full power, I shall finally crush Earth and all who inhabit it!_ " the second figure snarled.

The first figure stepped out, revealing himself. He was a tall sorcerer with pale white skin and strange tattoos and markings on his face, as well as strange demonic armor worn on his chest and legs. On his back were two glowing green swords, and on the center of his chest was a glowing green skull. His eyes glowed an ominous purple and he smiled with a venomous grin. It was the notorious sorcerer and necromancer of the Nether Realm, Quan-Chi! "Yes, I bet you shall. Now, about those two fallen warriors? Do you think that they could still be of use to us?" the sorcerer asked with a sly grin.

The second figure slowly removed himself from the shadows and revealed himself. He was wearing a dark black robe that concealed most of his body, but his face could be clearly seen. It was none other than Dormammu, the terrible demon warlord from the 7th Level of Hell! " _Yes...they could prove to be quite useful against my enemies. But can it be done?_ " Dormammu growled. "They will join us or suffer in the Nether Realm, my master!" Quan-Chi proclaimed. " _So be it! I can see the future of Earth now...the realm of darkness shall rule all. My realm will become theirs at last!_ " Dormammu sneered with an evil laugh.

 ***Well, that's all folks! Will I be making a sequel to this story? Probably...but it won't tie in to my previous trilogy, and will probably be a new series of it's own. I don't know. But all I do know, is that I'm very happy to finally be done with this one! (whew!) But that being said, I'm very proud to have worked with my dear friend Seth on this! Who knows? Maybe in the near future, I'll work on another collaboration with him. But until then, this is Spawnzilla signing off!* :)**

 ***Hey everybody, this is Seth the Great and I want to say thank you for reading this. I also want to thank Spawn for agreeing to let me work with him on this. I already said in the first chapter that I had been wanting to do this with him for quite some time, so when we finally started working on it I was thrilled. Now to see that we actually completed it is another great feeling. I enjoyed working on this, and Spawn was a great guy to work with the entire way through. Thank you all and Happy Holidays.***


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